Lord Cranborne is the son and heir of the 6th Marquess of Salisbury. His ancestors were ministers to Elizabeth I and his Dorset home, Cranborne Manor, dates back to King John's time. Robert Michael James Cecil Cranborne was MP for Dorset South from 1979 to 1987. Part of that time was spent in Afghanistan organising the anti-Soviet resistance and he gave up politics because he wanted to be more independent. That is, until 1992 when his friend John Major persuaded him to serve in the Lords under his family name Baron Cecil of Essendon. After the 1992 election he was Parliamentary Secretary at Defence and was John Major's campaign manager in the 1995 "back me or sack me" leadership contest. He served as leader in the House of Lords from 1994 and was, until Wednesday shadow leader. He was sacked 'like a badly-trained spaniel', to use his own words, for exceeding his authority in attempting to strike a deal with the Labour leadership without William Hague's backing. Lord Cranborne says he wants a proper debate on Lords reform. He would regret the end of voting rights for hereditary peers but is happy for them to go if replaced by a genuinely effective alternative. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church college, Oxford. He enjoys shooting, though does not take part in hunting and is passionate about farming. He fiercely opposes a single European currency.