Peter Walker RIP

Hat Tip to Conservative Home for advising me that Lord Walker, who as Peter Walker was one of the leading moderates within Margaret Thatcher's government, died this morning. They quote the Worcester News as saying

"The former Conservative MP for Worcester passed away early this morning at St Richard's Hospice in the city. He had been suffering from cancer. Peter Walker was MP for Worcester from 1961 to 1992."

"Lord Walker held a number of Cabinet posts during his parliamentary career. He was Environment Secretary and Trade and Industry Secretary under Edward Heath, and Energy Secretary and Welsh Secretary under Margaret Thatcher. The founder of the Tory Reform Group, Lord Walker was appointed a life peer after his retirement as an MP in 1992.

"Lord Walker was surrounded by his family when he passed away this morning."

Peter Walker was one of the few who proved that you could be "wet" (e.g. moderate) in the political sense without being wet in the sense of lacking the courage to stand up for what you believed. He walked a difficult tightrope between disloyalty and failing to say things which needed saying with a great deal of success. As one of the very few who were cabinet ministers under both Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher he was also one of the great survivors of politics. Peter Walker was one of my political heroes when I was a young man and I will remember him as a great public servant.

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