Leon Brittan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

The Right Honourable

The Lord Brittan of Spennithorne

PC QC DL

Brittan in 1996

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 Commission 1989–1999

European Commissioner for External Relations
In office 23 January 1995 – 15 September 1999
President	Jacques Santer Manuel Marín (acting)
Preceded by	Frans Andriessen
Succeeded by	The Lord Patten of Barnes
European Commissioner for Trade
In office 6 January 1993 – 15 September 1999
President	Jacques Delors Jacques Santer Manuel Marín (acting)
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

Secretary of State for the Home Department

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 Home Affairs

In office
4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981

Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher

Preceded by

The Lord Boston of Faversham

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 – 13 May 1983

Preceded by

James Tinn

Succeeded by

Constituency abolished

Personal details

Born

Leon Brittan

25 September 1939
London, England

Died

21 January 2015 (aged 75)
London, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Diana Peterson

(m. 1980)

Children

Relatives

Samuel Brittan (brother)

Education

Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School

Alma mater

Profession

Barrister

Awards

Knight Bachelor (1989)

Leon Brittan (born 25 September 1939, died 21 January 2015) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party and a barrister, which is a type of lawyer. He held many big jobs in the government and later worked for the European Union.

Who Was Leon Brittan?
Images for kids
See also

Who Was Leon Brittan?

Leon Brittan was a well-known British politician who served in Margaret Thatcher's government. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 to 1988. After that, he became a European Commissioner, working for the European Union from 1989 to 1999.

His Early Life and Education

Leon Brittan was born in London, England. His parents, Rebecca and Joseph Brittan, were Lithuanian Jews who moved to Britain before World War II.

He went to Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School and then to Trinity College, Cambridge University. At Cambridge, he was the head of the Cambridge Union Society, a famous debating club. He also studied at Yale University in the United States. His brother, Samuel Brittan, became a well-known economics journalist.

Starting His Political Journey

Leon Brittan first tried to become an MP in 1966 and 1970, but he didn't win. He was finally elected to Parliament in February 1974, representing the area of Cleveland and Whitby.

Key Roles in Government

From 1979 to 1981, he worked as a Minister of State at the Home Office. This is a junior minister role in the department that deals with law and order.

He was then promoted to Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 1981. This made him the youngest person in the Cabinet, which is a group of the most important government ministers. In this role, he was in charge of managing government spending.

In 1983, Leon Brittan became the Home Secretary, one of the most powerful jobs in government. He was the youngest Home Secretary since Winston Churchill. During the 1984–85 miners' strike, he played a key role in coordinating police forces across the country.

In 1984, when a British police officer was killed outside the Libyan embassy in London, Brittan led the government's response team. He managed the crisis while the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary were away.

In 1985, he was moved to the role of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. This job involved looking after business and industry in the UK. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher felt he was not good at explaining government policies on television.

The Westland Affair and His Resignation

Leon Brittan resigned from his government job in January 1986 because of something called the Westland affair. This was a disagreement within the government about which company should rescue a struggling helicopter manufacturer called Westland.

Brittan had allowed a letter to be shared with the press. This letter criticized another minister, Michael Heseltine. The sharing of this letter caused a big controversy. Because of the trouble, Leon Brittan decided to resign from his position.

Working for Europe

In 1989, Leon Brittan was made a Knight Bachelor, which means he could use the title "Sir." He then became a European Commissioner for the European Commission. This meant he left his job as an MP to work for the European Union.

He first became the European Commissioner for Competition. Later, he became the European Commissioner for Trade in 1993 and then for External Affairs in 1995. He also served as a Vice-President of the European Commission. He resigned in 1999 along with the rest of the Commission.

Life After Parliament

In 2000, Leon Brittan was made a life peer, which means he became a member of the House of Lords for life. His full title became Baron Brittan of Spennithorne.

After his time in politics, he held important roles in the business world. He was a vice-chairman at a bank called UBS AG Investment Bank. He also served on the board of Unilever, a large company that makes many everyday products. In 2010, he became a trade adviser to the UK government.

His wife, Diana, was also recognized for her public and charity work. She was given the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004.

His Passing

Leon Brittan passed away at his home in London on 21 January 2015, at the age of 75. He had been ill with cancer. He had two stepdaughters.

Awards and Recognition

Leon Brittan received several important awards and honors throughout his life.

Country	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
United Kingdom	1978 – 21 January 2015	Queen's Counsel	QC
United Kingdom	1981 – 21 January 2015	Member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council	PC
United Kingdom	31 December 1988 – 21 January 2015	Knight Bachelor	Kt
United Kingdom	1 August 2001 – 25 September 2014	Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire	DL

Country	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
Estonia		Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2nd Class)

Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships
Location	Date	School	Position
England	1993–2005	Teesside University	Chancellor

Honorary degrees
Location	Date	School	Degree
England	1990	Newcastle University	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)
England	1990	University of Hull	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Scotland	1991	University of Edinburgh	Doctorate
England	1992	University of Bradford	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
England	1992	University of Durham	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)
England	1995	University of Bath	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
England		Teesside University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)