Brian Michael Key (20 September 1947 – 20 January 2016) was a British Labour Party politician from

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

. He notably served as the

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP) for Yorkshire South from 1979 to 1984, having contested the first-ever U.K. election for the European Parliament. He additionally served on the

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The cou ...

before and following his tenure in the European Parliament.

Early life and education

Key was born on 20 September 1947 in

Darfield, South Yorkshire Darfield is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The village is situated approximately east from Barnsley town centre. Darfield had a popul ...

. He was educated at

Wath Grammar School Wath Academy is a mixed secondary school on Sandygate in Wath-upon-Dearne in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Admissions The school is a specialist Language College, though it is non-selective. It has approxima ...

from 1958 to 1965. He went on to study PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) at the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

. During his time at university, Key was a contemporary of future journalist Jon Snow.

Political career

Key was elected to

in 1973, where he served for six years until his election to the European Parliament. During his tenure on Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Key served as chair of the Labour Group and as a member of the council's education committee.

Member of the European Parliament (MEP)

In 1979, Key was elected as the

(MEP) for Yorkshire South in the first-ever election for the European Parliament in the U.K. In the subsequent

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

election, Key was

deselected Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presel ...

by the Labour Party. Labour candidate Norman West won the seat and succeeded him in the European Parliament.

Post-MEP career

Before retiring, Key worked as a local government officer and school auditor. Between 2011 and 2015, Key represented his home village of Darfield on

, but chose to retire prior to the 2015 local elections.

Death and legacy

Soon after retiring as a councillor, Key died at the age of 68 on 20 January 2016. Following his death, Michael Dugher, Labour MP for

Barnsley East Barnsley East was a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency in South Yorkshire, from 2010 until 2024. This constituency covered parts of the town of Barnsley. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Wes ...

, paid tribute to Key's legacy, stating that:

"Barnsley has lost one of its finest sons in Brian Key. From the moment I first met Brian, he was incredibly warm and supportive."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Brian 1947 births 2016 deaths MEPs for England 1979–1984 Labour Party (UK) MEPs Labour Party (UK) councillors Councillors in South Yorkshire People educated at Wath Academy