John Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh - End of Political Career

End of Political Career

After two months absence due to illness, Moore returned to work. But by now his political prospects were much diminished. On 25 July 1988, he lost the health portfolio to Kenneth Clarke. Moore retained his social security portfolio and stayed in cabinet as Secretary of State for Social Security for a further year. However, his credibility was further damaged by speeches in which he appeared to suggest that poverty had been abolished in modern Britain. His attempt to target state assistance towards poorer families while freezing child benefits provoked a major rebellion by Conservative backbench MPs.

In July 1989, Moore was sacked from the cabinet. Most commentators at the time considered him to have been a weak politician who had been promoted beyond his ability:

He was written off by one Tory as 'like a frightened rabbit mesmerised by oncoming headlights'.

He gave up his parliamentary seat at the time of the 1992 general election and subsequently held a number of directorships with large concerns including Credit Suisse Asset Management and Rolls Royce plc. He has recently retired as Chairman of the Monitor Group, Europe.

After leaving the Commons in 1992 Moore became a life peer as Baron Moore of Lower Marsh, of Lower Marsh in the London Borough of Lambeth. A BBC feature in August 2011 reported that after 20 years in the House of Lords, Moore had still to make his maiden speech :

While he worked behind the scenes as a political operator he was very effective ... but he was suddenly thrust into the spotlight in the mammoth task of defending the government on the issues of health and social security ... and he just bombed