David Willetts
A cerebral Conservative thinker who shaped Britain's higher education and science policy, later becoming a key advocate for intergenerational fairness.
Born 1956 (age 70)·British politician·Birthday: March 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Willetts, often dubbed 'Two Brains' for his intellectual heft, built a political career defined by a deep engagement with ideas. As the MP for Havant, he was a modernizer within the Conservative Party, focusing on social policy and economic reform. His most defining period came as Minister for Universities and Science, where he oversaw a controversial but transformative shift to higher tuition fees and championed the expansion of technical degrees. After leaving the Commons, his work with the Resolution Foundation shifted to analyzing economic inequality between generations, coining the term 'the pinched middle' and influencing national debate on housing and wages for the young.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as UK Minister of State for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014.
- Introduced and implemented the £9,000 tuition fee system for English universities.
- Authored the influential book 'The Pinch: How the Baby Boomers Took Their Children's Future'.
- Appointed as the Chair of the UK Space Agency board in 2022.
- Served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Two Brains' was reportedly given by former Labour minister Mo Mowlam.
He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Christ Church, Oxford.
He worked as a researcher at the Conservative think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies, early in his career.
He is a life peer, sitting in the House of Lords as Baron Willetts of Havant.
“A university is not just about the transmission of knowledge; it is about the creation of knowledge.”
