For much of the Second World War, Pym served in North Africa and Italy as a captain and regimental adjutant in the 9th Lancers.

He became foreign secretary during the Falklands War in 1982 following Lord Carrington's resignation, but was removed by Thatcher the following year after her second election victory.

During the 1983 general election campaign he said on the BBC's Question Time that "Landslides don't on the whole produce successful governments".

Shortly afterwards, he launched a pressure group called Conservative Centre Forward to argue for more centrist, one-nation policies but with Thatcher at the height of her powers, it was unsuccessful.

[citation needed] He was portrayed by Jeremy Child in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play, by Julian Wadham in the 2011 film The Iron Lady and by Guy Siner in the fourth series of The Crown.