Steve Norris's Biography

Who is Steve Norris?

After attending Liverpool Institute Steve Norris went on to graduate from Worcester College, Oxford University. Norris was actually in The Labour Club at Oxford from 1964 to 1967.

He was Conservative MP for Oxford East from 1983 to 1987 and for Epping Forest from 1988 to 1997. Norris was vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2000 to 2001.

In Who's Who Steve Norris lists one of his hobbies as not walking and indeed Steve Norris has always been interested in transport whether as a car dealer with a VW-Audi franchise, or Director General of the Road Haulage Associate, or Director and then Chairman of Jarvis or as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport from 1992 to 1996.

In 1997, he retired from Parliament to become the Tory candidate for Mayor of London. In 2000 he came second to Ken Livingstone in the London mayoral elections.

Steve Norris lists amongst his favourite London locations L'Oranger in St James's, The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz, The Science Museum, Clapham Common and Waterloo Bridge.

For a while Steve Norris had a weekly phone-in show on Talksport, discussing politics and current affairs.

Steve Norris said of Tony Blair:

"He had absolutely no problem at all with business. He deeply respects capitalist entrepreneurs ... I suspect if he hadn't wandered into politics or the law, he might well have been an enormously successful – probably sales and marketing director I suspect."

In March 2011, Steve Norris was appointed chairman of Soho Estates.