Sir Bernard Ingham pays tribute to wife after her death

SIR BERNARD Ingham’s wife Lady Nancy has died after a short illness.

Born at Pellon, Halifax, the then Nancy Hoyle joined Halifax Borough Police in the early 1950s.

“We met in court, she as usher and me, I always hasten to add, as a reporter,” said Sir Bernard in tribute.

“She once trapped two drunks in a roundabout entry to a rather rough pub to await reinforcements.”

The couple moved to Leeds in 1958 when the then Bernard Ingham became Northern Industrial Correspondent of The Yorkshire Post. The Inghams moved to London in 1964, with Mr Ingham joining the Civil Service in 1967 and eventually becoming Press Secretary to Margaret Thatcher.

“I think it is generally recognised I could not have done my 11 years in No 10 without her support, given the hours worked and the time abroad,” added Sir Bernard who continues to write a weekly column every Wednesday for The Yorkshire Post.

As well as her devoted husband, Lady Ingham is survived by the couple’s son, John, a journalist, and two grandchildren – Charlotte, a doctor, and Tom, a third-year student at Cambridge University.