Lord Roy Hattersley

Roy Hattersley

Areas of Interest

Politics and Government

Honorary Award

Honorary Doctor of Letters, 2010

Biography

Roy Hattersley is a distinguished politician, historian and broadcaster.

For over fifty years, Roy Hattersley has had an active and highly significant career at the heart of British politics. From 1964 to 1992 he was a Labour Member of Parliament. He first entered Parliament as the Labour MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook in 1964, the first of nine elections victories in the constituency and also the election year when Labour narrowly returned to power under Harold Wilson after thirteen years in opposition. Roy Hattersley has remained closely identified with his multi-ethnic constituency in the Midlands which he represented until his retirement from the House of Commons in 1992.

He was born into a strong working class Labour family in Sheffield in 1932. With this northern working-class upbringing, Roy Hattersley gained a scholarship to the esteemed Sheffield City Grammar School and went to the University of Hull, where he read for a BSc in Economics and participated in student politics. After graduating he worked for a spell for a Sheffield steelworks and then for two years for the Workers' Educational Association. Roy spent some of his happiest years as Chairman of the Housing Committee when he was a member of the Sheffield City Council.

In the 1960s Roy Hattersley held ministerial posts in Harold Wilson's governments as Employment Minister and as deputy to Denis Healey in Defence. From 1974-6 he served under Harold Wilson again as Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. He was appointed a privy councillor in 1975. From 1976-79 he joined James Callaghan's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection.

He has been an ardent and longstanding supporter of the Common Market and Britain's role in the European Economic Community. In domestic politics, his advocacy of British comprehensive education has been a shining beacon for many years. In 1981 Roy Hattersley founded 'Labour Solidarity' to help prevent the break-up of the Labour Party. While in opposition, Roy Hattersley has also held a large number of shadow portfolios, including Defence, Education and Science, and the Home Office. In particular from 1983-1992, while in opposition, he served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party during Neil Kinnock's period as party leader, an important period of party reform and changing attitudes as Labour undertook the long haul back to office.

Roy Hattersley was made a life peer in 1993 as Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook in the County of West Midlands and continues to represent Labour in the House of Lords to this day.

For as many years, Roy Hattersley has also been a prolific and popular writer, journalist, book reviewer and broadcaster. He has always been in demand on BBC radio and television programmes, such as Question Time and Any Questions? As a senior statesman, he is a valued commentator- particularly at election time and during the party conference season.

In recent years Roy Hattersley has provided expert help to the work of the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University.



Citation

"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for The Right Honourable The Lord Hattersley for the award of Honorary Doctor of Letters.

It is my great pleasure to present Roy Hattersley, the distinguished politician, historian and broadcaster for the award of an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.

For over fifty years, Roy Hattersley has had an active and highly significant career at the heart of British politics. From 1964 to 1992 he was a Labour Member of Parliament during some of his party's most politically exciting and turbulent years in the second half of the twentieth-century. He first entered Parliament as the Labour MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook in 1964, the first of nine elections victories in the constituency and also the election year when Labour narrowly returned to power under Harold Wilson after thirteen years in opposition. Roy Hattersley has remained closely identified with his multi-ethnic constituency in the Midlands which he represented until his retirement from the House of Commons in 1992.

He was born into a strong aspirant working class Labour family in Sheffield in 1932, a city famous for its municipal socialism. His mother, Enid Hattersley, was a Labour city councillor and, later in 1981, Mayor of Sheffield who made certain her twelve-year old son joined the Labour League of Youth. Throughout his life, he has remained a fervent supporter of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and Yorkshire Cricket. With this northern working-class upbringing, Roy Hattersley gained a scholarship to the esteemed Sheffield City Grammar School and went to the University of Hull, where he read for a BSc in Economics and participated in student politics. Though destined for a long career in British politics, Roy Hattersley would also say he has had 'a proper job'. After graduating he worked for a spell for a Sheffield steelworks and then for two years for the Workers' Educational Association. Roy spent some of his happiest years as Chairman of the Housing Committee when he was a member of the Sheffield City Council.

In the 1960s Roy Hattersley held ministerial posts in Harold Wilson's governments as Employment Minister under Barbara Castle and as deputy to Denis Healey in Defence. From 1974-6 he served under Harold Wilson again as Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. He was appointed a privy councillor in 1975. From 1976-79 he joined James Callaghan's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection to play a significant part in combating rising inflation arising from the global economic crisis after the international oil price hikes.

He has been an ardent and longstanding supporter of the Common Market and Britain's role in the European Economic Community. In domestic politics, his advocacy of British comprehensive education has been a shining beacon for many years. In 1981 Roy Hattersley did not join his former friends and fellow right wingers, Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and William Rodgers. in their controversial breakaway from the Labour Party to form the short-lived Social Democratic Party (SDP). Instead, he founded 'Labour Solidarity' to help prevent the break-up of the Labour Party. While in opposition, Roy Hattersley has also held a large number of shadow portfolios, including Defence, Education and Science, and the Home Office. In particular from 1983-1992, while in opposition, he served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party during Neil Kinnock's period as party leader, an important period of party reform and changing attitudes as Labour undertook the long haul back to office. In 1992 he retired from the House of Commons.

Roy Hattersley was made a life peer in 1993 as Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook in the County of West Midlands and continues to represent Labour in the House of Lords to this day. In recent years he has been a radical critic of New Labour. His declaration 'Blair's government is not the Labour party I joined' struck a distinct chord with many Labour supporters, especially after 2001. After the general election in May 2010 he reiterated his unshakeable belief that that Gordon Brown was the most impressive young MP he had ever met, but the tragedy for him, and for the nation, was that the 'real Gordon Brown' never emerged as prime minister.

For as many years, Roy Hattersley has also been a prolific and popular writer, journalist, book reviewer and broadcaster. He has always been in demand on BBC radio and television programmes, such as Question Time and Any Questions? As a senior statesman, he is a valued commentator- particularly at election time and during the party conference season. He also continues to be a regular contributor to many newspapers and journals. On 8 May, after the recent 2010 general election, he offered some timely advice in a newspaper article to newly arrived MPs. 'The House of Commons is workshop, not shrine... without clear convictions life at Westminster is a boring waste of time. With them it is a great and glorious adventure'. He also noted when he was a new MP nearly fifty years ago, there was no office, not even a locker; only his own coat hook -decorated with pink tape - on which to hang his sword! Perhaps times have changed.

In 2003 Roy Hattersley was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His many acclaimed writings, to mention a few, include The Edwardians; Who Goes Home: Scenes from a Political Life; a biography of the Methodist leader, John Wesley, as well The Maker's Mark and In That Quiet Earth, best-selling novels based on his family. In addition, the heart warming Buster's diaries - as told to Roy Hattersley by his beloved late pet dog Buster was also highly successful.

Also, in recent years Roy Hattersley has provided expert help to the work of the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University. Professor John Shepherd is especially appreciative for his support as a keynote speaker during the highly successful George Lansbury 150th anniversary events in 2009; for his invaluable help with his book on the 'Callaghan Government and the British 'winter of discontent' 1978-1979 and for a most memorable 'Evening of History and Politics with Roy Hattersley' in the packed Mumford Theatre on the University's Cambridge Campus in March 2010. In the future he will be assisting Paul Bloomfield with his doctoral research on the history of SDP.

Roy Hattersley is a major politician and writer on British public life with deep roots in his native Yorkshire, and a wide hinterland of cultural and sporting interests.

Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present the Rt Hon the Lord Hattersley for the award of Doctor of Letters , honoris causa."