Editing William Hague (section)

===Backbenches===
On the [[backbench]]es he occasionally spoke in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on issues of the day. Between 1997 and 2002, he was the Chairman of the [[International Democrat Union]]. Hague's profile and personal popularity rose thereafter among both Conservative Party members and the wider public following his spell as Party Leader. He has written a biography of 18th-century Prime Minister [[Pitt the Younger]] (published in 2004), taught himself how to play the piano, and hosted the 25th anniversary programme for [[BBC Radio 4|Radio&nbsp;4]] on the political television satire ''[[Yes Minister]]'' in 2005. In June 2007 he published his second book, a biography of the anti-slave trade campaigner [[William Wilberforce]], shortlisted for the 2008 [[Orwell Prize]] for political writing.<ref>[http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/short-books.aspx "Shortlist 2008"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314133305/http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/short-books.aspx |date=14 March 2008 }}, The Orwell Prize</ref>

Hague's annual income was the highest in Parliament, with earnings of about £400,000 a year from directorships, consultancy, speeches and his parliamentary salary. His income was previously estimated at £1&nbsp;million annually, but he dropped several commitments and in effect took a salary cut of some £600,000 on becoming [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite news | title=Hague pays dearly for his promotion to the Shadow Cabinet | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-2446698,00.html | publisher=The Times (London) | date=10 November 2006 | access-date=8 December 2006 | location=London | first1=Anthony | last1=Browne | first2=Sam | last2=Coates | archive-date=8 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108113058/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=House of Commons |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/080205/memi12.htm |title=Full list of his registered interests |publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom |access-date=17 April 2010 |archive-date=24 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424182628/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/080205/memi12.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Together with former Prime Minister [[John Major]], former Chancellor [[Kenneth Clarke]], and Hague's successor [[Iain Duncan Smith]], Hague served for a time on the Conservative Leadership Council, which was set up by [[Michael Howard]] upon his [[2003 Conservative Party leadership election|election unopposed]] as Leader of the Conservative Party in 2003.

At the [[2005 Conservative leadership election]] he supported the eventual winner [[David Cameron]].
He is a member of [[Conservative Friends of Israel]], a group which he joined when he was 15.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/?content_id=13722| title=William Hague's Schmooze with the Jewish News| date=25 March 2010| publisher=Totally Jewish| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406054043/http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/?content_id=13722| archive-date=6 April 2010| df=dmy-all}}</ref>