David Waddington

For the 19th-century politician, see David Waddington (Essex MP).

David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington, GCVO, PC, QC, DL (2 August 1929 – 23 February 2017) was a British politician and barrister.

The Right Honourable The Lord Waddington GCVO PC QC DL
Portrait by Nick Sinclair, 1991
Governor of Bermuda
In office 11 April 1992 – 2 May 1997
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Premier	John Swan David Saul Pamela Gordon
Preceded by	Desmond Langley
Succeeded by	Thorold Masefield
Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
In office 28 November 1990 – 11 April 1992
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	The Lord Belstead
Succeeded by	The Lord Wakeham
Home Secretary
In office 26 October 1989 – 28 November 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Douglas Hurd
Succeeded by	Kenneth Baker
Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office 13 June 1987 – 24 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	John Wakeham
Succeeded by	Tim Renton
Minister of State for Immigration
In office 6 January 1983 – 13 June 1987
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Timothy Raison
Succeeded by	Tim Renton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment
In office 5 January 1981 – 6 January 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Patrick Mayhew
Succeeded by	John Gummer
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 16 May 1979 – 5 January 1981
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Alfred Bates
Succeeded by	John Wakeham
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 4 December 1990 – 26 March 2015 Life peerage
Member of Parliament for Ribble Valley Clitheroe (1979–1983)
In office 1 March 1979 – 29 November 1990
Preceded by	David Walder
Succeeded by	Michael Carr
Member of Parliament for Nelson and Colne
In office 27 June 1968 – 20 September 1974
Preceded by	Sydney Silverman
Succeeded by	Doug Hoyle
Personal details
Born	David Charles Waddington (1929-08-02)2 August 1929 Burnley, Lancashire, England
Died	23 February 2017(2017-02-23) (aged 87) South Cheriton, Somerset, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Gillian Green ​ (m. 1958)​
Children	5
Alma mater	Hertford College, Oxford Gray's Inn

A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1968 to 1974 and 1979 to 1990, and was then made a life peer in the House of Lords. During his parliamentary career, Waddington worked in government as Chief Whip, then as Home Secretary and finally as Leader of the House of Lords. He then served as the Governor of Bermuda between 1992 and 1997.

Early life

Waddington was born in Burnley, Lancashire, the youngest of five. His father and grandfather were both solicitors in Burnley. He was educated at Cressbrook School and Sedbergh School, both independent schools.

He then attended Hertford College, Oxford, where he became President of the Oxford University Conservative Association. He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1951.

Waddington failed to adequately defend Stefan Kiszko, a civil servant accused of the murder of Lesley Molseed, at Leeds Crown Court in July 1976 in what would become one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Waddington did not review or question any of the 6000+ statements that the prosecution presented at the last minute. He also failed to ask about semen evidence that could have proved Kiszko's innocence since the sample Kiszko provided did not match semen retained from Molseed's body. Kiszko served 16 years in prison, receiving frequent violent attacks for being a "child killer", after wrongly being found guilty. He died of a massive heart attack 20 months after he was fully released. The real murderer was eventually convicted in 2007. Waddington was a strong supporter of Capital Punishment.

Political career

Waddington stood for election several times before being successful. He was the Conservative candidate at Farnworth in the 1955 general election, at Nelson and Colne in 1964, and at Heywood and Royton in 1966.

He was first elected to Parliament at the 1968 Nelson and Colne by-election, caused by the death of Labour MP Sydney Silverman. He was re-elected there in 1970 and in February 1974, but lost his seat at the October 1974 general election by a margin of 669 votes to Labour's Doug Hoyle.

Waddington was returned to Parliament for Clitheroe at a by-election in March 1979, and was subsequently elected for the broadly similar Ribble Valley constituency in 1983.

In government

A junior minister under Margaret Thatcher, Waddington was a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and Government Whip (1979–81), Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Employment (1981–83), Minister of State at the Home Office (1983–87), and Chief Whip from 1987 until his elevation to Cabinet level in 1989, when he became Home Secretary. On Monday 5 November 1990, he was the guest-of-honour at the annual dinner of the Conservative Monday Club

Life peer

On 4 December 1990, he was created a life peer as Baron Waddington, of Read in the County of Lancashire. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords until 1992. He then served as Governor of Bermuda from 1992 until 1997.

Lord Waddington was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1994. In 2008, his amendment to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, known as the Waddington Amendment, inserted a freedom of speech clause into new anti-homophobic hate crime legislation.

In November 2009, the Government failed to repeal the Waddington Amendment in the Coroners and Justice Bill. On 26 March 2015, Lord Waddington retired from the House of Lords pursuant to Section 1 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014.

Personal life

Waddington married Gillian Rosemary Green (born 1939), the daughter of Alan Green, on 20 December 1958. The couple had three sons and two daughters.

Lord Waddington died of pneumonia on 23 February 2017, at his home in South Cheriton, Somerset, aged 87.

Arms

Coat of arms of David Waddington

Coronet A Coronet of a Baron Crest An Arm embowed vested Azure, issuing from the Sleeve of a Silk Gown Sable, the Hand proper, holding a Wreath of four Roses Gules, barbed and seeded proper, enfiled by a Sword point upwards Argent, Hilt Pommel and Quillons Or. Escutcheon Ermine, on a Cross Azure, between four Roses Gules, barbed and seeded proper, a Lion's Head guardant Or, langued Gules. Supporters Dexter: A Lion in trian aspect; Sinister: a Griffin, both Or, armed and langued Gules, gorged with a Bar dancetty Ermine, edged Azure, each statant erect amid Reeds growing from a Grassy Mount proper. Motto Deus Noster Refugium Et Virtus (God is our refuge and courage)

External links

• Profile on Parliament website
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by David Waddington