Former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley has died at the age of 93. The veteran politician, author and journalist passed away peacefully, his family confirmed.
Political Career
Born in Sheffield in 1932, Hattersley first entered Parliament in 1964 as the MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook, a seat he held for 33 years. He served as minister of state for defence administration and minister of state at the Foreign Office under Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
In James Callaghan's government, he joined the Cabinet in 1976 as secretary of state for prices and consumer protection. He later served as Neil Kinnock's deputy from 1983 to 1992.
Shift in Politics
Having spent decades on the right of the Labour Party, Hattersley took a strong stand against Tony Blair's New Labour, which he argued had abandoned the pursuit of social equality. He was made a life peer, Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook, upon leaving the Commons in 1997 after 33 years as an MP.
Tributes have poured in from across the political spectrum, remembering him as a principled and dedicated public servant.
