Marmite politician left his mark
BRIAN Mawhinney, former chairman of the Conservative party, had a mixed political career but proved to be an effective chairman of the Football League for seven years and oversaw the creation of the Championship league.
Taciturn and short-fused he would be described as a Marmite politician in the modern era, but nevertheless he was an imposing figure who left his mark on the political stage.
Born in Belfast to a restaurateur, he took a BSc at Queen’s University in the city and later became an assistant professor of radiation research at Iowa University. For 14 years he lectured at the Royal Free medical school in London.
In 1979 he was elected at Peterborough, and his mildly puritanical streak shone through when he supported a bill to outlaw indecent displays outside strip clubs and sex shops. He was also opposed to excessive drinking and smoking.
Unsurprisingly, he used his medical knowledge to speak on health issues, later becoming a PPS to Northern Ireland Secretary Tom King.
Under John Major he was appointed Health Minister where he swiftly banned tobacco products from NHS hospitals.
As Transport Secretary he privatised Railtrack and decreed that all driving licences should have a photograph.
Mawhinney also decided Heathrow should not get a third runway. The Tories were decimated
in the 1997 general election while he served as chairman of the Conservative Party.
After serving as shadow home secretary he left the House in 2005 with a life peerage.
Mawhinney had two sons and a daughter with Betty Oja, whom he married in the United States.