On 23 June,The Daily Telegraph carried an obituary of the 4th Viscount Long who had died ten days earlier.
This affable man from a strong Tory family had a record of political service that is unique in the recent history of the Conservative Party, as the obituary noted at the start: “The 4th Viscount Long, who has died aged 88, was a former Lord-in-Waiting (government whip) in the House of Lords under Margaret Thatcher and John Major and, according to Alistair Cooke (now Lord Lexden), star contributor to The Daily Telegraph’s letters page, the only peer to have held office throughout the Tories’ 18 years in government”.
Furthermore, it was the same office. While others moved on to other posts (or were dropped from the government), Richard Long never changed jobs. It was a tribute to his skill in piloting legislation through the House and, most importantly, in judging the changing mood of the Lords which enabled him to alert his colleagues to looming difficulties.
He left the House in 1999 when Tony Blair removed nearly all the hereditary peers.