The political world is mourning the loss of Sir Patrick Duffy, the former Labour defence minister and one of the party's foremost experts on disarmament during the Cold War, who has died at the age of 105.
From Wigan to Westminster: A Life of Service
Sir Patrick's journey to the House of Commons was long and eventful. Born in Wigan in 1920 to Irish parents from County Mayo, his early life was humble. His father, James, was a miner who moved the family to Rossington, near Doncaster. Patrick's academic prowess, nurtured by a local priest who taught him Latin, led him to the London School of Economics after the war, where he earned a BSc and a PhD, later studying at Columbia University in New York.
His path to parliament was not straightforward. He first stood for election in Tiverton, Devon, in 1950, and was successfully elected on his fourth attempt, winning a by-election in Colne Valley, West Yorkshire, in 1963. He held the seat by a mere 187 votes in the 1964 general election, only to lose it in 1966. He later secured the safe Labour seat of Sheffield Attercliffe, which he represented from 1970 until his retirement in 1992.
A Stalwart Defence Voice and NATO President
An economist by training and a Royal Navy veteran of the Second World War, Duffy brought deep personal experience to defence policy. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Defence Secretary Roy Mason before being appointed as the minister with responsibility for the Royal Navy in 1974.
After Labour lost power in 1979, he became opposition defence spokesman. His expertise and Atlanticist views led to a significant role in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where he served for 13 years and was elected President in 1988, a position he held for two years. This post earned him a knighthood in 1991, recommended by Conservative Prime Minister John Major.
Duffy was known for sticking to his convictions, even when they clashed with his party's line. He notably opposed Labour's unilateralist defence policy in the early 1980s while serving in his NATO role. A devout Catholic, he was also strongly opposed to abortion and embryo research.
Irish Identity and a Complex Political Legacy
His Irish heritage profoundly shaped his politics. He published an autobiography in 2013 titled Growing Up Irish in Britain and British in Ireland. In Westminster, he was a forthright commentator on Irish affairs, criticising Conservative policy in Northern Ireland during the 1981 hunger strikes and the imprisonment of the Birmingham Six.
Interestingly, despite being a fervent European for most of his life, he supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum, believing the eurozone had made the EU impractical.
After leaving politics, he returned to academic work and was known for making annual pilgrimages on foot to religious sites. Sir Patrick Duffy is survived by his sister, Patricia. His life, spanning over a century, charts an extraordinary course from a mining community to the heart of international defence diplomacy.
