Patrick Duffy (British politician) facts for kids

Sir Albert Edward Patrick Duffy (born 17 June 1920) is a British economist and a politician for the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over 20 years. An MP is a person elected to represent their local area in the government.

Duffy was the MP for Colne Valley from 1963 to 1966. He later represented Sheffield Attercliffe from 1970 to 1992. In the 1970s, he was a government minister in charge of the Navy. In the 1980s, he was president of the NATO Assembly.

After another former MP, Ronald Atkins, passed away in 2020, Duffy became the oldest living former MP in Britain. On January 4, 2025, he officially became the longest-lived MP in British history.

Early Life and Education

Patrick Duffy was born in Wigan, England, on June 17, 1920. His parents, James and Margaret Duffy, were Irish Catholic immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland. His father worked as a coal miner. In 1925, the family moved to the mining village of Rossington near Doncaster, where Duffy still lives.

Military Service in World War II

During World War II, Duffy served in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. He was in a plane crash near Scapa Flow in Scotland. His injuries were so serious that a priest gave him the last rites, a prayer for someone who is near death.

However, a famous surgeon named Harold Gillies treated him. Duffy made a remarkable recovery. He left the military in 1946 with the rank of Commander.

University and Teaching

Duffy's interest in politics grew while he was a student. He studied at the famous London School of Economics and at Columbia University in New York. After getting his degrees, he became a professor at Leeds University. He taught there from 1950 to 1963 and again from 1967 to 1970.

A Career in Politics

Duffy first tried to become an MP in 1950 for the area of Tiverton. He was not successful then, but he didn't give up. In 1963, he won a special election, called a by-election, to become the MP for Colne Valley.

He lost this seat in the 1966 general election. However, in 1970, he was elected as the MP for Sheffield Attercliffe. This was a "safe seat" for the Labour Party, meaning it usually elected a Labour MP. He represented this area until he retired in 1992.

Roles in Government and Opposition

From 1976 to 1979, Duffy was the minister in charge of the Royal Navy. This was during the government of Prime Minister Jim Callaghan. When the Labour Party lost the 1979 election, they became the "Opposition." This means their job was to challenge the new government. Duffy served as the Opposition's expert on defence.

Political Views

Duffy was known as a "moderate" in the Labour Party. He strongly supported Britain's connection with Europe. He also disagreed with the idea of getting rid of nuclear weapons on one's own (unilateral nuclear disarmament).

In 1981, Duffy was the only MP to publicly criticize Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's handling of a hunger strike by IRA prisoners. He felt her actions were making the situation worse. His comments caused a stir, but he received hundreds of letters of support. Interestingly, he and Thatcher later became friends when he was president of the NATO Assembly.

Duffy retired from Parliament at the 1992 general election. He has said he spent most of his 25 years as an MP in the Opposition, which he found challenging.

Life After Parliament

After retiring as an MP, Duffy became very involved with NATO. He was president of the North Atlantic Assembly, which is the part of NATO made up of politicians. This was during the end of the Cold War, a period of tension between Western countries and the Soviet Union.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight for his work with NATO. This is why he is called "Sir" Patrick Duffy. He also met with Pope John Paul II in 1989.

Duffy has continued to be interested in politics. He has said, "I've never left Labour and I never will."

Personal Life and Achievements

Duffy has written two books about his life. The first was Growing Up Irish in Britain, British in Ireland and the second was From Wigan to Westminster.

He is a practising Catholic. When he was in his 80s, he walked the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain six times. This long walk covers 25 kilometers a day for 35 days. In 2017, at age 96, the Pope honored him by making him a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

Duffy has never married. He turned 100 in June 2020. When asked about the secret to his long life, he said, "I never smoked, I never used my ministerial car when I could walk... and I read."