Philip Pedley is a British Conservative activist who held a number of positions in the Conservative Party at local, regional and national level and was appointed Deputy Chairman of one of the largest quangos in Wales. He was educated at Calday Grange Grammar School and Lancaster University. Young Conservatives Pedley joined his local branch of the Young Conservatives in 1974 in response to miners strike of that year and the defeat of the Conservative Government. He rose to become chairman of the North West Area Young Conservatives. Working closely with his predecessor, Iain Picton, and his successor Jeff Green, the North West Area became the pre-eminent base of the moderates against right-wing elements from the Monday Club and hardline libertarians from the Federation of Conservative Students. Elected as National Vice-Chairman of the Young Conservatives in 1981, under Iain Picton, Pedley was elected National chairman in 1982, serving two terms until 1984. He maintained the moderate Tory Reform Group hold on the organisation to the frustration of right-wing elements. "During the 1980s the wets retained an iron grip on the YCs under the ruthless and efficient leadership of Iain Picton, John Guthrie and Phil Pedley." Under Pedley, the National YCs were engaged in a number of high-profile activities. Youth for Multilateral Disarmament – anti-CND front organisation Under Picton's chairmanship, Pedley worked with the Ministry of Defence to counter the activities of the Youth CND in the party and established a moderate 'front' organisation to highlight the risk of unilateral disarmament and support for US cruise missiles in the UK. The CND magazine, Sanity, obtained a copy of the confidential action plan and revealed Pedley had been in communication with John Nott, the Minister of Defence about the plans to take on CND and the anti-CND material planned. They quoted Pedley as saying, "It is especially worrying that a good many Young Conservatives have sympathy with CND's position." Sanity revealed that the reported stated the front organisation would "be roped into monitoring CND activities and outlines plans to train anti-CND organisers. The organisation was named as Youth for Multilateral Disarmament with Pedley as its first director and national organiser, Mark Worrall working with him as secretary general. Withdrawal from British Youth Council The British Youth Council (BYC) was an umbrella organisation representing a multitude of different youth organisations. As national vice-chairman of the YCs under Picton, Pedley negotiated alliances with non-political youth