Derek John Fatchett (22 August 1945 – 9 May 1999) was a British politician. He became Member of Parliament for

Leeds Central Leeds Central was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The constituency first existed from 1885 until it was abolished in 1955. It was recreated in 1983. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Revie ...

in 1983 and was a member of the Labour Party. He was Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 1999.

Early life

Born in

Lincoln, Lincolnshire Lincoln () is a cathedral city and district in Lincolnshire, England, of which it is the county town. In the 2021 Census, the city's district had a population of 103,813. The 2021 census gave the urban area of Lincoln, including Bracebridge He ...

, Fatchett was the son of a

painter and decorator A house painter and decorator is a tradesperson responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator, or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is t ...

. His grandfather was a trade union official. He attended the all-male

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

, Lincoln School and then the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

where he studied Law, graduating in 1966. He joined the Labour Party in 1964. At the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

he took an MSc in 1968 where he joined in student demonstrations. He was more left-wing in his younger days in the 1960s and 1970s but moved towards the centre-left when an MP, leaving the

Campaign Group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

in 1985. Fatchett was a councillor on Wakefield Metropolitan Council from 1980 to 1984. He became a lecturer in Industrial Relations at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

in 1971, staying there until he became an MP. He was selected as the candidate for the new constituency of

over Stanley Cohen, who had held the predecessor constituency of Leeds South East, but had considered defecting from the Labour Party to the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

and was opposed by the left wing of the constituency party.

Parliamentary career

He contested the Bosworth seat in Leicestershire in 1979. After Labour's 1997 election victory, he was made a Minister of State at the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

with responsibility for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Whilst still in office, Fatchett died suddenly on the night of Sunday, 9 May 1999, from a massive

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

after collapsing whilst in a pub with his wife and a friend. The

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

for his seat was won by

Hilary Benn Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South, formerly ...

Personal life

He married Anita Oakes in Birmingham on 12 April 1969 and had two sons, Brendan and Gareth. He lived in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

External links

Article on his life, BBC 1999

''Guardian'' Obituary

By-election after his death
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fatchett, Derek 1945 births 1999 deaths Academics of the University of Leeds Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of Birmingham Councillors in Wakefield Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Politicians from Lincoln, England UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 People educated at Lincoln Grammar School Alumni of the University of Leeds