The political world is mourning the death of Sir John Stanley, the long-serving Conservative MP and minister who was a pivotal figure in Margaret Thatcher's government, particularly in driving through the landmark policy of selling council houses. He has died at the age of 83.
A Political Career Defined by Thatcherite Loyalty
Sir John Stanley served as the Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling in Kent for an impressive 41 years, from February 1974 until his retirement in 2015. Although he never reached the cabinet, his career was intrinsically linked to some of the most defining and contentious issues of the Thatcher era. An ultra-loyalist, he was seen as "one of us" by the Prime Minister's inner circle.
His commitment to the cause began even before he entered Parliament. While working at the Conservative Research Department, he was one of the originators of the policy to sell council housing. This vision became reality when, as Minister of State for Housing and Construction in Thatcher's first administration, he piloted the legislation through the House of Commons. The policy, regarded as a signal triumph for the Tories, led to half a million sales in its first four years, though its long-term impact on social housing stock remains debated.
Ministerial Challenges and Controversies
After the Conservatives' 1983 election landslide, Stanley moved to the Ministry of Defence as Armed Forces Minister. Here, his tenure became embroiled in significant controversy. He was a central figure in the aftermath of the Belgrano affair during the Falklands War. The subsequent trial of civil servant Clive Ponting, who leaked documents showing the Argentinian ship was sailing away from the British task force, revealed that Stanley had advised ministers to incorrectly claim the information was classified when challenged in Parliament.
Colleagues and officials often found his manner difficult. He was described as lacking a sense of humour, which was said to reinforce a "pomposity and a fussy attention to minor details." Anecdotes of his maladroitness became legendary in Westminster, including an incident where he got stuck in a lift at the MoD and insisted files be passed to him, and another where he demanded an RAF sniffer dog be flown to Iceland to check his aircraft for a non-existent bomb.
From Early Life to Later Career
Born in London in January 1942, John Stanley was the son of Maud and Harry Stanley. After his parents separated, he was brought up by his mother, who had once been a secretary to Sir Winston Churchill. He was educated at Repton School and studied history at Lincoln College, Oxford, and Syracuse University in the USA.
Before entering politics, his career included a stint as a financial analyst at the mining giant Rio Tinto Zinc for a decade. His first foray into elections was fighting the safe Labour seat of Newton in 1970. In the February 1974 election, he won Tonbridge and Malling, defeating a Labour candidate named Jack Straw.
His loyalty to Thatcher was personal as well as political. In 1976, she chose him as a Parliamentary Private Secretary. In a tragic turn, it was Stanley who, in tears, had to inform her of the IRA assassination of her close ally Airey Neave in 1979, having been first on the scene at the House of Commons car park bomb.
After being moved from the MoD following the 1987 election, he served as a minister in the Northern Ireland Office. His decisions there, including allowing a soldier convicted of murder to return to duty after three years, proved controversial. He was sacked as a minister in 1988 and received a knighthood.
In his later years, he served for over two decades on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and was a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Sir John Stanley was married twice: first to Susan Giles in 1968, with whom he had two sons and a daughter; they divorced in 2005. He married Elizabeth Brooks (née Tait) the following year. His eldest son died in 2000. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and his two remaining children.
