Former PM Sir Edward Heath dies

Former Conservative Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, has died aged 89.

Tributes have flooded in for the former Tory leader, who passed away on Sunday night. Prime Minister Tony Blair described Sir Edward as “a political leader of great stature and significance”. Lady Thatcher, who succeeded him as Prime Minister, stated: "We are all in his debt".

Sir Edward entered No 10 in 1970, after voters rejected Harold Wilson's Labour government. During his four-year premiership, Sir Edward was responsible for bringing Britain into the European Community, as well as introducing the Industrial Relations Act. However, increasing trade union unrest eventually led to Heath being unseated by Margaret Thatcher in 1975, who promised reform of the unions, privatisation of national companies, and the promotion of much looser ties with Europe.

The son of a carpenter, Sir Edward was the first politician from a working-class background to become the leader of a party that had, until then, been led by aristocrats. During his studies at Balliol College at Oxford in the 1930’s, he visited Germany, where he attended a Nuremburg rally, and in later years, liked to relate how he had come so close to Hitler, that the leader’s arm had brushed the young man’s sleeve. The experience also instilled in the young Heath a lifelong belief in the need for a united Europe, and he went on to serve in the tank division during the invasion of Germany in 1944-45.

Five years after his return, he entered Parliament, where he represented the constituency of Bexley, soon rising to ministerial positions within the Conservatives, before being elected leader of the party in 1965. Having lost out to Harold Wilson in the 1966 general election, he decided to transform his image as party leader – and against all odds, came back to beat Wilson in the 1970 general election, to become Prime Minister.

After his premiership ended in 1974, Sir Edward went on to serve as an MP for the next 27 years, and as the longest continuously serving member of the House of Commons, was named “Father of the House”. A stubborn, outspoken, and principled politician, Sir Edward was the last Tory leader to have served in World War II.

A world-class yachtsman, author, avid art-collector and orchestral conductor, Heath received his knighthood in 1992, and celebrated his 80th birthday in the company of The Queen at Number 10.

(CL/SP)