[1] He was evacuated in 1940,[2] studying at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts, on an English-Speaking Union scholarship, and then Worcester College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
[1][3] Furthermore, accusations of financial irregularity led to the closure in 1995 of Access to Justice, a company that he had set up to provide free legal advice to people on low incomes.
He soon showed his independence of mind, refusing to participate in the opposition directed towards his Labour opponent in the 1970 election, and becoming an early monetarist, a supporter of the European Economic Community as a trade bloc, and an advocate of parental choice in schooling.
[3] Shelton was one of the first people to advocate for Thatcher to succeed Edward Heath as Conservative leader, becoming second-in-command to campaign manager Airey Neave.
[1] Shelton is reputed to have organised the successful "stealth" campaign to convince backbench Conservatives on the party's right wing that by backing Thatcher in the leadership ballot they could oust Heath.