View source for Michael Fallon

{{short description|British politician (born 1952)}}
{{About||the Irish-Canadian Catholic priest and Canadian football coach|Michael Fallon (priest)|the American physician/candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives|Mike Fallon|the Irish country singer born Michael Fallon|Mike Denver}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = Sir Michael Fallon
| honorific-suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB}}
| image               = Official portrait of Sir Michael Fallon crop 2.jpg
| office              = [[Secretary of State for Defence]]
| term_start          = 15 July 2014
| term_end            = 1 November 2017
| predecessor         = [[Philip Hammond]]
| primeminister       = [[David Cameron]]<br />[[Theresa May]]
| successor           = [[Gavin Williamson]]
| office1             = [[Minister for Portsmouth]]
| predecessor1        = ''Office established''
| primeminister1      = [[David Cameron]]
| successor1          = [[Matt Hancock]]
| term_start1         = 16 January 2014
| term_end1           = 15 July 2014
| office2             = [[Minister of State for Energy]]<!--No need to edit the wikilink, per [[WP:NOTBROKEN]]-->
| predecessor2        = [[John Hayes (British politician)|John Hayes]]
| primeminister2      = [[David Cameron]]
| successor2          = [[Matt Hancock]]
| term_start2         = 28 March 2013
| term_end2           = 15 July 2014
| office3             = [[Department for Business, Innovation and Skills|Minister of State for Business and Enterprise]]
| primeminister3      = [[David Cameron]]
| term_start3         = 4 September 2012
| term_end3           = 15 July 2014
| predecessor3        = [[Mark Prisk]]
| successor3          = [[Matt Hancock]]
| office4             = [[Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party]]
| leader4             = [[David Cameron]]
| term_start4         = 4 September 2010
| term_end4           = 4 September 2012
| predecessor4        = [[The Lord Ashcroft]]
| successor4          = [[Sarah Newton]]
| office5             = [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] [[Department of Education and Science (UK)|for Education]]
| primeminister5      = [[Margaret Thatcher]]<br />[[John Major]]
| term_start5         = 24 July 1990
| term_end5           = 14 April 1992
| predecessor5        = [[Robert Jackson (Wantage MP)|Robert Jackson]]
| successor5          = [[Eric Forth]]
| office6             = [[Lord Commissioner of the Treasury]]
| term_start6         = 10 May 1990
| term_end6           = 22 July 1990
| primeminister6      = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| predecessor6        = [[Stephen Dorrell]]
| successor6          = [[Greg Knight]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary offices
|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office7 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)|Sevenoaks]]
| term_start7 = 1 May 1997
| term_end7 = 6 November 2019
| predecessor7 = [[Mark Wolfson]]
| successor7 = [[Laura Trott (politician)|Laura Trott]]
| office8 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)|Darlington]]
| term_start8 = 9 June 1983
| term_end8 = 16 March 1992
| predecessor8 = [[Ossie O'Brien]]
| successor8 = [[Alan Milburn]]
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
}}
| birth_name          = Michael Cathel Fallon
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1952|5|14|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], [[Perthshire]], Scotland
| signature           = 
| party               = 
| residence           = [[Sundridge, Kent|Sundridge]], [[Kent]], England 
[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|Wendy Elisabeth Payne|27 September 1986}}
| children            = 2
| education           = [[Epsom College]]
| alma_mater          = [[University of St Andrews]]
| caption             = Official portrait, 2017
}}
'''Sir Michael Cathel Fallon''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB}} (born 14 May 1952) is a British politician who served as [[Secretary of State for Defence]] from 2014 to 2017. A member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], he served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)|Sevenoaks]] from 1997 to 2019, having previously served as MP for [[Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)|Darlington]] from 1983 to 1992.

Fallon attended the independent [[Epsom College]] and read [[Classics]] and [[Ancient History]] at the [[University of St Andrews]]. After university he joined the [[Conservative Research Department]]. Elected for Darlington at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]], he was appointed [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Department for Education and Science]] in 1990. He lost his seat as MP for Darlington at the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]].

Fallon re-entered Parliament at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]] as MP for Sevenoaks. He served as [[Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party]] from 2010 to 2012, [[Minister of State for Business and Enterprise]] from 2012 to 2014, [[Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change]] from 2013 to 2014 and [[Minister for Portsmouth]] in 2014. In the [[2014 British cabinet reshuffle|2014 cabinet reshuffle]] he was promoted to Secretary of State for Defence. He resigned from the post after being implicated in the [[2017 Westminster sexual misconduct allegations]].

==Early life and career==
Michael Cathel Fallon<ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/cm010620/ml010620.htm |title=Alphabetical List of Members |publisher=UK Parliament |date=20 June 2001 |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> was born in [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], Perthshire, Scotland. His father was an Irish-born surgeon, Dr Martin Fallon, who was educated in Dublin and became a high-ranking medical officer in the British Army. Dr Fallon received the [[OBE]] for services to the wounded including at Arnhem.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/bridge-of-sighs-frank-mcnally-on-the-contrasting-role-of-two-dubliners-in-an-infamous-battle-of-the-second-world-war-1.4021341 |title=Bridge of Sighs – Frank McNally on the contrasting role of two Dubliners in an infamous battle of the second World War |work=The Irish Times |date=2019-09-17 |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-date=10 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110174719/https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/bridge-of-sighs-frank-mcnally-on-the-contrasting-role-of-two-dubliners-in-an-infamous-battle-of-the-second-world-war-1.4021341 |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael Fallon was educated at [[Craigflower Preparatory School]] near [[Dunfermline]] and at [[Epsom College]], a [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private boys' school]] in [[Surrey]]. He then read [[Classics]] and [[Ancient History]] at the [[University of St Andrews]], graduating in 1974 with a [[Master of Arts (Scotland)|Master of Arts (MA Hons)]] degree.

As a student, Fallon was active in the [[European Movement]] and the [[1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum|"Yes" youth campaign in the 1975 referendum]]. After university he joined the [[Conservative Research Department]], working first for [[Lord Carrington]] in the [[House of Lords]] until 1977 and then as European desk officer until 1979. He became research assistant to [[Baroness Elles]] in 1979, around the time that she became an [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]].

==Parliamentary career==
He was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for [[Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)|Darlington]] in July 1982, and fought the [[1983 Darlington by-election|Darlington by-election]] on 24 March 1983, which was held after the Labour MP [[Edward Fletcher (politician)|Ted Fletcher]] had died. Although Fallon lost to Labour's [[Ossie O'Brien]] by 2,412 votes, he defeated O'Brien 77 days later by 3,438 votes in the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]].

Fallon was appointed as the [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Secretary of State for Energy]] [[Cecil Parkinson]] following the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]], and in 1988 joined the government of [[Margaret Thatcher]] as an Assistant Whip, becoming a [[HM Treasury#Whips|Lord Commissioner to the Treasury]] in 1990. Fallon, alongside [[Michael Portillo]] and [[Michael Forsyth, Baron Forsyth of Drumlean|Michael Forsyth]], visited Thatcher on the eve of her resignation in a last-ditch and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to persuade her to reconsider her decision.<ref>[http://margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=109189 "Extract from Margaret Thatcher The Downing Street Years"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428163613/http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=109189 |date=28 April 2016 }}, Margaret Thatcher Foundation, London 1993, Retrieved on 18 April 2016</ref>

===Junior minister in the Department for Education and Science===
Thatcher appointed Fallon [[Parliamentary Under Secretary of State]] for the [[Department for Education and Science]] in July 1990, a position he continued to hold under the new [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|premiership]] of [[John Major]]. In this office Fallon headed legislation that led to the local management of schools,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-09-09b.571.0&s=speaker%3A10194#g571.2|title=Secondary Schooling|date=9 September 2010|work=They Work for You|access-date=18 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112621/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-09-09b.571.0&s=speaker:10194#g571.2|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> which among other changes gave schools a greater degree of financial independence, including control of their own bank accounts and cheque books.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1991-07-19a.641.4&s=michael+fallon+cheque+book#g648.3|title=Schools: 19 July 1991|date=19 July 1991|work=They Work for You|access-date=18 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107060242/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1991-07-19a.641.4&s=michael+fallon+cheque+book#g648.3|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> He remained in that office until the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]], when he lost his seat at Darlington to Labour's [[Alan Milburn]] by a margin of 2,798 votes.

===Return to the House of Commons===
Fallon was selected to stand in the safe Conservative seat of [[Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)|Sevenoaks]], after  the sitting member, [[Mark Wolfson]], decided not to stand again at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. At that election he held Sevenoaks with a substantially reduced majority.

Soon after his return to parliament, Fallon was appointed by [[William Hague]] as Opposition Spokesman for [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Trade and Industry]] and then as [[Shadow]] [[Financial Secretary to the Treasury]], but in October 1998 he resigned from the front bench, owing to ill health, remaining on the backbenches until Hague appointed him as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.

From 1999 he was a member of the [[Treasury Select Committee]] and chairman of its Sub-Committee (2001–10). He also served on the executive committee of the [[1922 Committee]] between 2005 and 2007.

In September 2012, [[David Cameron]] appointed Fallon as [[Minister (government)|Minister]] for [[Department for Business, Innovation and Skills|Business and Enterprise]] and he also became a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Councillor]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Watt |first=Holly |date=5 September 2012 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9520858/Michael-Fallon-becomes-business-minister.html |title=Michael Fallon becomes business minister |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=26 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027044319/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9520858/Michael-Fallon-becomes-business-minister.html |archive-date=27 October 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fallon has been a director at [[Tullett Prebon]], a leading brokerage firm in the City of London, and was one of the biggest supporters of the [[privatisation]] of the [[Royal Mail]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2013-02-07a.411.8|title = Debate on Royal Mail Privatisation|access-date = 26 October 2014|website = TheyWorkForYou|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141027005448/http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2013-02-07a.411.8|archive-date = 27 October 2014|url-status = live}}</ref>

In January 2014, Fallon was appointed as [[Minister for Portsmouth]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-25753398|title=Minister for Portsmouth to be Michael Fallon|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002214710/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-25753398|archive-date=2 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Six months later, on 15 July 2014, Cameron promoted him to the Cabinet, as Secretary of State for Defence.

===Secretary of State for Defence (2014–2017)===
[[File:IMSC Future-of-NATO Zwez 5F3A1329.jpg|thumb|Fallon during the [[Munich Security Conference]] in 2016]]
[[File:SD meets with UK's Secretary of State for Defence 170707-D-SV709-176 (35392759950).jpg|thumb|Fallon with US Secretary of Defence [[James Mattis]], July 2017]]
[[File:Lister, Fallon and Caldwell.jpg|thumb|right|Fallon (centre) with Vice-Admiral [[Simon Lister (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Simon Lister]] (left) and Admiral [[James F. Caldwell Jr.]] in August 2017]]
In February 2016, the week after a leaked [[United Nations]] report had found the Saudi-led coalition guilty of conducting "widespread and systematic" [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|air strikes against civilians in Yemen]]<ref>{{Cite news|title = UN report into Saudi-led strikes in Yemen raises questions over UK role|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/un-report-into-saudi-led-strikes-in-yemen-raises-questions-over-uk-role|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = 27 January 2016|access-date = 3 February 2016|language = en-GB|first = Ewen|last = MacAskill|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160202230721/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/un-report-into-saudi-led-strikes-in-yemen-raises-questions-over-uk-role|archive-date = 2 February 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> – including camps for internally displaced people, weddings, schools, hospitals, religious centers, vehicles and markets<ref>{{cite news|title = Saudi Coalition in Yemen Announces Inquiry Into Bombings|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/world/middleeast/saudi-coalition-in-yemen-announces-inquiry-into-bombings.html|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|date = 31 January 2016|access-date = 3 February 2016|first = Rick|last = Gladstone|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204051200/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/world/middleeast/saudi-coalition-in-yemen-announces-inquiry-into-bombings.html|archive-date = 4 February 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> – and the same day the [[International Development Select Committee]] had said that the UK should end all arms exports to [[Saudi Arabia]] because of ongoing, large-scale human rights violations by the Kingdom's armed forces in Yemen, Fallon was criticised for attending a £450-a-head dinner for an arms-industry trade-body.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Jon |date=3 February 2016 |title=Ministers wined-and-dined by arms trade hours after MPs demand ban on selling weapons to Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ministers-wined-and-dined-by-arms-trade-hours-after-mps-demand-ban-on-selling-weapons-to-saudi-a6850751.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203174747/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ministers-wined-and-dined-by-arms-trade-hours-after-mps-demand-ban-on-selling-weapons-to-saudi-a6850751.html |archive-date=3 February 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2016, Fallon admitted that UK-supplied internationally banned [[cluster munition]]s had been used in [[Saudi Arabia]]'s bombing campaign in [[Yemen]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cowburn |first=Ashley |date=19 December 2016 |title=British manufactured cluster bombs have been used in Yemen by Saudi Arabia, Michael Fallon admits |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/michael-fallon-confirms-british-made-cluster-bombs-have-been-used-by-saudis-in-yemen-conflict-a7485106.html |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=9 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110063135/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/michael-fallon-confirms-british-made-cluster-bombs-have-been-used-by-saudis-in-yemen-conflict-a7485106.html |archive-date=10 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2017, Fallon confirmed that the UK would use [[Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom|its nuclear weapons]] in a "[[Pre-emptive nuclear strike|pre-emptive initial strike]]" in "the most extreme circumstances" on BBC Radio's ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme.<ref>{{cite news |last=Merrick |first=Rob |date=24 April 2017 |title=Theresa May would fire UK's nuclear weapons as a 'first strike', says Defence Secretary Michael Fallon |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-nuclear-weapons-first-strike-michael-fallon-general-election-jeremy-corbyn-trident-a7698621.html |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=24 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425031826/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-nuclear-weapons-first-strike-michael-fallon-general-election-jeremy-corbyn-trident-a7698621.html |archive-date=25 April 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2017, Fallon warned that [[Russia]]'s [[Zapad 2017 exercise]] in [[Belarus]] and Russia's [[Kaliningrad Oblast]] was "designed to provoke us". Fallon falsely claimed that number of Russian troops taking part in exercise could reach 100,000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia was the target of Nato's own fake news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russia-zapad-2017-putin-west-fake-news-us-world-war-three-ukraine-belarus-nato-a7961856.html |work=The Independent |date=22 September 2017 |access-date=9 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930234354/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russia-zapad-2017-putin-west-fake-news-us-world-war-three-ukraine-belarus-nato-a7961856.html |archive-date=30 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====European Union====
In an interview in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' in 2016, before the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|European Union (EU) membership referendum]], Fallon described himself as [[Eurosceptic]] and critical of many aspects of the [[EU]], but said that he wanted Britain to remain in the EU, in the face of multiple threats from Russia's president [[Vladimir Putin]], crime, and international terrorism.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=20 February 2016 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12166767/Strength-in-numbers-Michael-Fallon-backs-staying-with-Europe.html |title=Strength in numbers: Michael Fallon backs staying with Europe |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107074216/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12166767/Strength-in-numbers-Michael-Fallon-backs-staying-with-Europe.html |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Run-up to the 2015 general election====
During the run-up to the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], Fallon wrote an article in ''[[The Times]]'' saying that [[Ed Miliband]] had stabbed his brother [[David Miliband]] in the back to [[2010 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|become Labour leader]] and he would also stab Britain in the back to become prime minister. Fallon subsequently declined the opportunity to describe Miliband as a decent person and his comments embarrassed some Conservative supporters. Miliband gave a response, saying that Fallon had fallen below his usual standards and demeaned himself, which the ''[[New Statesman]]'' asserted was dignified, contrasting with Fallon's counter-productive personal attack.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eaton |first=George |date=9 April 2015 |title=Michael Fallon's attack backfires, leaving Miliband to emerge as the decent man |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/04/fallons-attack-backfires-miliband-emerges-decent-man |newspaper=[[New Statesman]] |author-link=George Eaton (journalist) |access-date=20 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412020804/http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/04/fallons-attack-backfires-miliband-emerges-decent-man |archive-date=12 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Expenses scandal====
According to ''The Daily Telegraph'' Fallon, Deputy Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, claimed for mortgage repayments on his Westminster flat in their entirety. MPs are only allowed to claim for interest charges.<ref name="expenses">{{cite news |last=Swaine |first=Jon |date=21 May 2009 |title=MPs' expenses: Michael Fallon claimed £8,300 too much in mortgage expenses |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5358001/MPs-expenses-Michael-Fallon-claimed-8300-too-much-in-mortgage-expenses.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=26 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027022509/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5358001/MPs-expenses-Michael-Fallon-claimed-8300-too-much-in-mortgage-expenses.html |archive-date=27 October 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 2002 and 2004, Fallon regularly claimed £1,255 per month in capital repayments and interest, rather than the £700–£800 for the interest component alone.<ref name="expenses" /> After his error was noticed by staff at the Commons Fees Office in September 2004, he asked: "Why has no one brought this to my attention before?" <ref name="expenses" /> He repaid £2,200 of this over-claim, but was allowed to offset the remaining £6,100 against his allowance. After realising they had failed to notice the excessive claims, Commons staff reportedly suggested Fallon submit fresh claims which would "reassign" the surplus payments to other costs he had legitimately incurred.<ref name="expenses" />

====Allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour and resignation====
{{See also|Weinstein effect}}
In late October 2017 it was reported that Fallon had repeatedly and inappropriately touched journalist [[Julia Hartley-Brewer]]'s knee during a dinner in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rayner|first=Gordon|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/31/defence-secretary-sir-michael-fallon-admits-touching-female/|title=Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon admits touching female radio presenter's knee at a dinner|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=31 October 2017|access-date=1 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102085206/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/31/defence-secretary-sir-michael-fallon-admits-touching-female/|archive-date=2 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Hartley-Brewer recalled that after Fallon kept putting his hand on her knee, she "calmly and politely explained to him, that if he did it again, I would punch him in the face".<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Fallon 'apologised for touching journalist's knee' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41812281 |work=BBC News |date=31 October 2017 |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-date=30 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930092553/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41812281 |url-status=live }}</ref> Fallon resigned two days later believing his "previous conduct" towards women had "fallen below" what is acceptable.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41838682|title=Fallon resigns as Defence Secretary over behaviour claims|work=BBC News|date=1 November 2017|access-date=1 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101193505/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41838682|archive-date=1 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Hartley-Brewer expressed shock at the resignation, saying: "I didn't feel it was something that needed any further dealing with".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/insane-absurd-and-ridiculous-journalist-julia-hartleybrewer-touched-on-knee-by-michael-fallon-a3674196.html|title=Journalist touched on knee by Fallon calls resignation 'insane'|work=Evening Standard|access-date=2018-04-22|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423040620/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/insane-absurd-and-ridiculous-journalist-julia-hartleybrewer-touched-on-knee-by-michael-fallon-a3674196.html|archive-date=23 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was subsequently reported Fallon had been forced to resign in part due to an allegation of inappropriate and lewd comments towards fellow Conservative MP [[Andrea Leadsom]] when they both sat on the Treasury Select Committee. He was also accused of making comments of a sexual nature about other MPs on the committee and members of the public who attended hearings.<ref>{{cite news |last=Watts |first=Joe |date=3 November 2017 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/michael-fallon-andrea-leadsom-accuse-sexual-harassment-resign-conservative-defence-secretary-tory-a8034991.html |title=Sir Michael Fallon resigned after Andrea Leadsom accused him of sexually inappropriate language |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103084925/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/michael-fallon-andrea-leadsom-accuse-sexual-harassment-resign-conservative-defence-secretary-tory-a8034991.html |archive-date=3 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The former political editor of ''[[The Independent|The Independent on Sunday]]'', [[Jane Merrick]], said in ''[[The Observer]]'' in early November 2017 that Fallon was the previously unnamed Conservative MP who had "lunged" at her a decade and a half earlier. She had contacted Downing Street about the incident several hours before he resigned.<ref>{{cite news |last=Merrick |first=Jane |date=4 November 2017 |title=I won't keep my silence: Michael Fallon lunged at me after our lunch |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2017/nov/04/michael-fallon-lunged-at-me-jane-merrick |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |access-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105002843/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2017/nov/04/michael-fallon-lunged-at-me-jane-merrick |archive-date=5 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Observer'' reported on the same day that "the revelation was the tipping point for No 10, which ... had been compiling a list of alleged incidents involving Fallon since claims against him were first made."<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/04/michael-fallon-defence-secretary-sexual-harassment| title=Revealed: Why Michael Fallon was forced to quit as defence secretary| newspaper=The Guardian| date=4 November 2017| last1=Doward| first1=Jamie| access-date=27 January 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105002836/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/04/michael-fallon-defence-secretary-sexual-harassment| archive-date=5 November 2017| url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2019, Fallon announced he would not seek re-election at the [[2019 United Kingdom general election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/sevenoaks-mp-michael-fallon-step-3285958|title=Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon is to step down after more than 31 years in Parliament|work=Kent Live|date=4 September 2019|access-date=5 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905020216/https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/sevenoaks-mp-michael-fallon-step-3285958|archive-date=5 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Career outside Parliament==
Between 1992 and 1997, Fallon set up a chain of children's nurseries called ''Just Learning'' with funding from the British ''[[Dragons' Den (UK TV series)|Dragons' Den]]'' member [[Duncan Bannatyne]], becoming [[chief executive]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.retail-week.com/profile-michael-fallon-minister-for-business/5040550.article|title=Profile: Michael Fallon, Minister for business|last=Holland|first=Tiffany|date=14 September 2012|newspaper=[[Retail Week]]|access-date=10 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205949/http://www.retail-week.com/profile-michael-fallon-minister-for-business/5040550.article|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Fallon has been married to Wendy Elisabeth Payne, a HR professional, since 27 September 1986; the couple have two sons.<ref>{{cite news |last=Settle |first=Michael |date=2 November 2017 |title=Humiliated Sir Michael Fallon quits as Defence Secretary as sex scandal sweeps Westminster |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15634594.Fallon_quits_as_Westminster_scandal_claims_first_cabinet_victim/ |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |location=Glasgow |access-date=9 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010056/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15634594.Fallon_quits_as_Westminster_scandal_claims_first_cabinet_victim/ |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Vote 2001 - Michael Fallon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/5/50802.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=9 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310150627/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/5/50802.stm |archive-date=10 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The family lives in [[Sundridge, Kent]].

He was banned from driving for 18 months in 1983 after admitting a drink-driving offence during the general election campaign.<ref>''The Guardian'', News in Brief, 5 July 1983:</ref>

Fallon was made a [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] (KCB) for political and public service as part of the [[Resignation Honours]] of the outgoing prime minister [[David Cameron]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61678 |supp=y |date=16 August 2016 |page=RH3}}</ref>

==Publications==
*''The Quango Explosion: Public Bodies and Ministerial Patronage'' by [[Philip Holland (politician)|Philip Holland]] and Michael Fallon, 1978, Conservative Political Centre, {{ISBN|0-85070-621-1}}
*''Sovereign Members'' by Michael Fallon, 1982
*''The Rise of the Euroquango'' by Michael Fallon, 1982, [[Adam Smith Institute]], {{ISBN|0-906517-22-2}}
*''Brighter Schools: Attracting Private Investment into State Schools'' by Michael Fallon, 1993, [[Social Market Foundation]], {{ISBN|1-874097-15-1}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.michaelfallon.org.uk/ Michael Fallon website]
*{{UK MP links |parliament=sir-michael-fallon/88 |hansardcurr=3183 |hansard=mr-michael-fallon |publicwhip=Michael_Fallon |theywork=michael_fallon}}
*[https://archive.today/20140801222203/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/15973/Michael-Cathel-FALLON Debrett's People of Today]
*[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-1649,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Michael Fallon MP]
*{{C-SPAN|1000817}}

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[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People educated at Craigflower Preparatory School]]
[[Category:People educated at Epsom College]]
[[Category:People from Perth, Scotland]]
[[Category:Secretaries of State for Defence (UK)]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1983–1987]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1997–2001]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2001–2005]]
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[[Category:UK MPs 2017–2019]]
[[Category:People from Sundridge, Kent]]