How old is William Hague? Former Tory leader, Foreign Secretary and life peer who campaigned against Brexit

WITH his peculiar Yorkshire accent, witty quips and geeky gaffes, he was once the best known Tory in the land.

But William Hague is also remembered for being a competent Foreign Secretary during the horrifying scourge of ISIS and the escalating Syrian civil war.

Who is William Hague?

The Yorkshireman from Rotherham first popped up aged 16 at a 1977 Conservative Party conference where he delivered a speech worthy of the most accomplished young fogey.

Twenty years later he was back in the limelight.

This time as party leader after John Major’s defeat to trendy Tony Blair in 1997 who at the time courted the booming music and fashion world.

Soon after Hague revealed he was not so square after all.

In a men's magazine he made far-fetched claims about drinking 14 pints of beer a day as a youngster while working on a truck delivering lemonade.

The British people, many of whom liked a drink or two themselves, were flabbergasted at such an outlandish boast.

Reporters were thus dispatched to interview locals in a bid to discover the truth about young Hague's heroic ale swilling antics.

But it transpired teenaged William was actually known as "Billy the Pop" or "Billy Fizz".

Hague's street cred suffered a further broadside after the press published photographs showing him ecstatically riding a log flume while sporting a baseball cap with his own name on.

Despite his best efforts, when it came to the General Election the Tories only managed to cut New Labour's majority to 167, from 179 in 1997.

And so Hague stepped down and returned to the back-benches.

Satirists and impersonators to some extent mourned his passing. They appreciated a genuine character they could rip amid an increasingly bland political landscape.

It would be four years on the fringe before new Tory PM David Cameron appointed him Foreign Secretary - and it was in this position he excelled.

He redesigned Britain’s approach, arguing the nation must have more "global reach and influence" or face decline in a fast-changing world.

This of course came at a time when the Government was broke - having bailed out the banks in 2008 - and as a result forced to sack thousands of military servicemen and scrap numerous ships, planes and tanks.

So Hague deployed our so-called "soft power"- via shrewd diplomacy - which has always been Britain's ace card.

What was William Hague’s position on the Syrian war?

During the Syrian civil war he opposed tyrant Bashar al-Assad and was astounded and appalled at the dictator’s cruel use of chemical weapons on his own people.

In 2013 the vile regime forces launched a gas attack in Ghouta which killed hundreds of civilians.

Hague opposed Cameron’s decision to ask parliament before launching a strike against Assad - which turned out to vote against military action.

Assad soon after agreed to a deal demanding he get rid of his chemical weapons. But recent events suggest he did not give up them all up.

What does Hague do now?

After representing Richmond, North Yorkshire, as an MP for 26 years he stepped down at the 2015 election.

The 57-year-old has since been made Lord Hague of Richmond. 

In the 2016 EU referendum he campaigned against Brexit.

For now he uses his humour and insight into national and international affairs in a lucrative career as a speaker.

It is unclear whether he intends to return to politics.

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