Michael Latham

For the nutritionist, see Michael C. Latham. For the Somerset cricketer, see Mike Latham.

Sir Michael Anthony Latham (20 November 1942 – 2 November 2017) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament.

Michael Latham DL FCGI HonFREng Hon FRIBA
Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton
In office 1983–1992
Member of Parliament for Melton
In office February 1974 – 1983
Personal details
Born	Michael Anthony Latham (1942-11-20)20 November 1942
Died	2 November 2017(2017-11-02) (aged 74)

Political career

Latham was elected to the Churchill Ward on Westminster City Council in 1968. He did not stand at the subsequent election in 1971,^[1] but became the Conservative MP for Melton in February 1974. In 1983, following boundary changes, Latham was elected to represent Rutland and Melton, before standing down in 1992.^[2]

After Parliament

In 1994, he wrote the influential joint government and industry report on the UK construction industry, 'Constructing the Team'^[3] (known as the Latham Report). In it he advocated partnerships within the fragmented and highly contentious construction industry.^[2] He made recommendations as to how conflict could be minimised within the industry. Such was the nature and extent of these recommendations that Mr Justice Jackson later described the report as "the whirlwind which hit the construction industry".^[4]

In 1997, he was elected an honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.^[5]

After standing down from parliament he has held numerous positions in the construction industry including chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board (2002–10), chairman of ConstructionSkills (2003–10), chairman, then deputy chairman of Willmott Dixon Limited (1999–2002, 2002–09), chairman of Collaborative Working Centre Limited (since 2003) and deputy chairman of BIW Technologies (2000–05).^[2]

Latham was knighted in the 1993 New Year Honours for political service.^[6] He was also an FRSA, FCGI, Hon. RICS, Hon. FRIBA, Hon. FCIOB and Hon. FICE.