Working at the Conservative Research Department (CRD) in the mid-1970s were several young aspirants who would go on to make their mark in public life during the Thatcher era. Among these were Chris Patten, Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Michael Dobbs. Many believed that the one in the group with the brightest future, however, was Michael Jones.
Suavely handsome, self-assured and articulate, he had come from advertising. There his eye for a telling phrase had contributed to Gordon’s Gin being billed as “The shape of drinks to come”. As a desk officer 24 Old Queen Street, he worked closely with senior figures including Michael Heseltine and William Whitelaw. With the Tories in opposition from 1974, the latter’s brief was shadowing the home secretary. It was