Former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley dies at 93

Roy Hattersley, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party and a cabinet minister who spent more than three decades as a Member of Parliament, has died at the age of 93. Tributes were led by Prime Minister and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who described him as a giant of the Labour movement.

Hattersley, a Sheffield-born politician, entered Parliament in 1964 as the MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook, a seat he held for 33 years. He served in junior ministerial roles under Prime Minister Harold Wilson and entered the Cabinet in 1976 as Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection in James Callaghan's government. His ministerial career ended with Labour's defeat in the 1979 general election.

The defining phase of his political life began in opposition. Following Labour's historic defeat in 1983, Hattersley became deputy leader under Neil Kinnock, serving until 1992. This period, often called a "dream ticket" alliance, was marked by internal battles to steer the party away from policies widely seen as unelectable, including unilateral nuclear disarmament and opposition to the European Community. Hattersley was credited with helping to expel the hard-left Militant Tendency...