Former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley dies aged 93
Former Labor deputy leader Roy Hattersley has died aged 93 and Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to his “decades of service”.
Known as Labour’s “almost man”, he failed to win the leadership of his beloved party and spent more than two decades on the opposition benches in his 33 years as an MP.
Prime Minister Sir Keir wrote of X: “Roy Hattersley was one of the giants of the Labor movement.
“During his decades of service, including as deputy leader and minister, he never lost his belief in a more equal Britain.
“My thoughts are with his wife Maggie and his family.”
Lord Kinnock, who led the party from 1983 to 1992, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of Roy’s death and offer my deepest condolences to Maggie.
“Roy was a socialist of deep convictions, a socialist who believed that freedom should not be limited by anything other than responsibility and should never depend on the past or fortune. He believed that freedom should be made real and secure by collective action and contribution, by accountability and equality.
“He was fluent and courageous in expressing these beliefs verbally and in writing, writing numerous columns and publishing 20 books. He was never serious or respectful, and his common sense, sense of humor and endless stories made him an excellent companion.
“All this made him a valued comrade and a unique asset to the Labor Party, British democracy and wider humanity.”
Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell shared: “This is sad news. Roy Hattersley, best known as Neil Kinnock’s deputy leader, shaped the Labor Party and British politics.”
“He was one of the giants of our movement and of that generation of politicians.
“I met him several times and he was always kind, thoughtful and full of sound advice.”
Nigel Evans, the former Tory deputy speaker of the House of Commons, wrote: “Roy Hattersley was one of the true old Labor politicians – deeply academic with real roots supporting working people – I was lucky enough to spend his final term in the House of Commons.
“It was people like Roy who shaped politics for a generation with an absolute belief in improving the lot of the people he represented…..on the lighter side he was a talent for spitting image – but his legacy was not that of his caricature.
“I commemorate the passing of a warrior of a truer politics.”
Mr Hattersley spent much of the party’s wild years in the 1980s struggling to keep the party together, just as ideological infighting threatened to tear it apart.
He is credited with helping to steer the party away from policies that made it unelectable in the eyes of many voters, including its support for unilateral nuclear disarmament and opposition to the European Community.
But when Tony Blair, who had once worked for him, finally managed to regain the No 10 seat in the Labor Party, she became one of his most outspoken critics, accusing him of abandoning socialist principles.
As a passionate advocate for the causes of redistribution and equality, particularly in the education system, he was appalled by New Labour’s wholesale embrace of market economics.
After leaving the House of Commons in 1997, Sparkbrook ascended to the House of Lords as Baron Hattersley.
Besides his political career, he was a prolific writer; He had published more than 20 books, including biographies, histories, and memoirs.
He is survived by his wife, Maggie Pearlstine.
