[2] He then earned a scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a first class honours degree in history.

Thatcher writes in The Downing Street Years (1993) that "(Biffen) had been a brilliant exponent in Opposition of the economic policies in which I believed...

[5] As Leader of the House, Biffen used the guillotine to cut short debate on the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1986.

His dismissal was no surprise, in that Thatcher's press secretary Bernard Ingham had already famously called him a "semi-detached" member of the Cabinet.

"[9] Nevertheless, Thatcher later admitted that Biffen's departure from the Cabinet was "a loss in some ways", because of his Euroscepticism and his "sound instincts on economic matters".

Similarly to Powell, he completely opposed capital punishment and was very supportive of equal gay rights but wanted less immigration.

[13] On the backbenches Biffen voted against the Local Government Finance Act 1988 which introduced the Community Charge (the poll tax).

He had one stepson, Nicholas Wood, a correspondent with The New York Times and International Herald Tribune, and a stepdaughter, Lucy.