Editing Matt Ridley (section)

==Early life and education==
Ridley's parents were [[Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley]] (1925–2012), and Lady Anne Katharine Gabrielle Lumley (1928–2006), the daughter of [[Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough]].<ref name="FatherObit">{{cite news |title=Obituary: Viscount Ridley |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/9165965/Viscount-Ridley.html |website=The Telegraph |access-date=5 October 2020 |date=25 March 2012}}</ref> He is the nephew of the late Conservative [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) and minister [[Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale|Nicholas Ridley]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Russell |first1=Jonathan |title=Northern Rock chief admits to 'catastrophic black mark' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/7969974/Northern-Rock-chief-admits-to-catastrophic-black-mark.html |website=The Telegraph |access-date=24 September 2019 |date=28 August 2010}}</ref> and the great grandson of [[Edwin Lutyens]].<ref name="FatherObit"/>

Ridley attended [[Eton College]] from 1970 to 1975, and then went on to [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], to study zoology.<ref name=whoswho/> Obtaining a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] degree with [[first class honours]], Ridley continued with research on the [[mating system]] of the [[Pheasant|common pheasant (''Phasianus colchicus'')]] supervised by [[Chris Perrins]] for his [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree in 1983.<ref name=dphil>{{cite thesis |degree=DPhil |publisher=University of Oxford |title=Mating system of the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) |first=Matthew White |last=Ridley |date=1983 |url=http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCOP_OX:oxfaleph013858922 |oclc=52225811 }}</ref>