British politician and barrister (1939–2015) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne PC QC DL (25 September 1939 – 21 January 2015) was a British politician and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Home Secretary (1983–1985), a member of Parliament (MP) and subsequently of the European Commission.
The Lord Brittan of Spennithorne | |
|---|---|
Brittan in 2011 | |
| Vice-President of the European Commission | |
| In office 16 March 1999 – 15 September 1999 | |
| President | Manuel Marín (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Manuel Marín |
| Succeeded by | Neil Kinnock |
| European Commissioner for External Relations | |
| In office 23 January 1995 – 15 September 1999 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Frans Andriessen |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Patten of Barnes |
| European Commissioner for Trade | |
| In office 6 January 1993 – 15 September 1999 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Frans Andriessen |
| Succeeded by | Pascal Lamy |
| European Commissioner for Competition | |
| In office 6 January 1989 – 6 January 1993 | |
| President | Jacques Delors |
| Preceded by | Peter Sutherland |
| Succeeded by | Karel Van Miert |
| Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | |
| In office 2 September 1985 – 24 January 1986 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Norman Tebbit |
| Succeeded by | Paul Channon |
| Home Secretary | |
| In office 11 June 1983 – 2 September 1985 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | William Whitelaw |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Hurd |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 5 January 1981 – 11 June 1983 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | John Biffen |
| Succeeded by | Peter Rees |
| Minister of State for the Home Office | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Lord Boston |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Mayhew |
| Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks) | |
| In office 9 June 1983 – 31 December 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy Kitson |
| Succeeded by | William Hague |
| Member of Parliament for Cleveland and Whitby | |
| In office 28 February 1974 – 9 June 1983 | |
| Preceded by | James Tinn |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1939 North London, England |
| Died | 21 January 2015 (aged 75) London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
Diana Clemetson (m. 1980) |
| Education | The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Hertfordshire |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge and Yale University (Henry Fellowship) |
| Profession | Barrister |
Brittan died of cancer in London, aged 75.[1]
In October 2014, a Labour MP used parliamentary privilege to refer to claims that Brittan had been linked to child abuse.[2] On 21 March 2016, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that "Operation Midland", the investigation into the alleged paedophile ring, had been closed without any charges being brought.[3]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
