Christopher James Prout, Baron Kingsland TD PC QC (1 January 1942 – 12 July 2009) was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician.

[1] He was educated at Sevenoaks School and Manchester University before gaining a postgraduate scholarship at The Queen's College, Oxford where he studied economics.

In 1966 he joined the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development in Washington, D.C. for three years before taking up a research fellowship at Sussex University and then becoming a lecturer in Law.

Prout was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Shropshire and Stafford constituency for the 1979 elections to the European Parliament, and won the seat with a 45,000 majority.

The Chairman of the Conservative Party Kenneth Baker attempted to improve relations in 1990 by arranging a series of meetings between the group and Thatcher.

[1] Following his election defeat, Prout received a life peerage as Baron Kingsland, of Shrewsbury in the County of Shropshire on 7 October 1994.

He successfully defeated Labour moves to end the right to trial by jury in certain cases, considered to be his greatest achievement by his colleagues.

The government had intended to abolish the post of Lord Chancellor completely but, partly due to pressure from Prout, the title survived.

In 2008, Prout was moved to the more limited role of Shadow Legal Affairs Minister though, as of 2009, he still led for the Opposition on some debates despite suffering from illness.

[1] Described as being "amiable but dry" and a "skinny, bald brainbox", in the Lords Prout became highly rated for his views and opinions on constitutional and planning issues.