Labour stalwart and former deputy leader, Roy Hattersley, has passed away at the age of 93. Hattersley, born in Sheffield in 1932, began his political career by winning the Birmingham Sparkbrook seat in 1964, overcoming a Tory majority of 900 with a 1,200-vote victory.
During his 33-year tenure as an MP, Hattersley held various governmental positions, including serving as a minister under Harold Wilson and as a cabinet secretary in James Callaghan’s administration. Despite an unsuccessful leadership bid in 1983, he went on to become Neil Kinnock’s deputy from 1983 to 1992, where he notably served as shadow Home Secretary.
In a departure from his previous political stance, Hattersley later criticized Tony Blair’s New Labour for deviating from the traditional values of social equality. Following his retirement from the Commons in 1997, he was granted a life peerage as Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook and pursued a successful career as an author, columnist, and broadcaster.
Hattersley’s personal life saw him married to Molly Loughran before marrying his literary agent, Maggie Pearlstine, who survives him. Tributes poured in following his passing, with Labour leader Keir Starmer lauding him as a champion of a fairer society, expressing condolences to Hattersley’s family.