Sir William Nigel Paul Cash CH (born 10 May 1940) is a British politician who served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1984 to 2024.

Cash was the founder of the Maastricht Referendum Campaign in the early 1990s, and was the elected Chair of the House of Commons' European Scrutiny Committee.

[7] Cash married Bridget Mary (née Lee) at Wardour Castle Chapel in Wiltshire on 16 October 1965,[8] and they have two sons and a daughter.

[13] Cash entered Parliament in 1984, when he was elected as MP for Stafford at a by-election in May following the death of Sir Hugh Fraser.

[18] He introduced the Gender Equality (International Development) Bill 2013,[19][20] which, although only 18th in the Private Members Ballot, was enacted in March 2014.

Mariella Frostrup wrote in The Times, "The new law that puts gender equality at the heart of our overseas aid policy will be as historic as the Slave Trade Act.

In the book by historian Robert Blake titled The Conservative Party: from Peel to Major, Cash is described as the leader of the Eurosceptics during the Maastricht Rebellion and as being "indefatigable... a constitutional lawyer of great expertise".

[25] In 1993, Cash founded and remains chairman of the eurosceptic European Foundation which was created during the Maastricht Rebellion, the funding for which he organised.

[26] After fellow Maastricht rebel Iain Duncan Smith became leader of the Conservatives, Cash was appointed to the post of shadow Attorney general in 2001, and in 2003 he was Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, but he returned to the backbenches later that year after Duncan Smith was ousted as party leader.

In April 2019, Cash was in favour of a "No-deal" option as a negotiating position for Britain leaving the European Union.

[30] Amanda Foreman states that "Bill Cash not only breathes new life into Bright but delivers an entirely fresh view of both the man himself and his stance as the professional scourge of the upper classes.

"[30] In addition to his historical writing, Cash has also published a number of books, pamphlets and essays on Britain's relationship with the European Union, and the Eurosceptic movement.

"[34] Kennedy, in his letter to Cash regarding his appeal, wrote: "In my judgment there are special reasons why it would not be fair and equitable to require repayment of any money.

"[33] Cash was portrayed by actor Richard Durden in the 2019 HBO and Channel 4 produced drama entitled Brexit: The Uncivil War.