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{{Short description|Labour Member of Parliament}}{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}

factoids

| birth_place = Lincoln, Lincolnshire, UK1999908df=yes}}| death_place = Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK| restingplace = | birthname = United Kingdom>BritishLabour Party (UK)>Labour| otherparty = | spouse = Anita Bridgens Oakes| relations = | children = | residence = | alma_mater = University of Leeds, London School of Economics, University of Birmingham| religion = }}Derek John Fatchett (22 August 1945 – 9 May 1999) was a British politician. He became Member of Parliament for Leeds Central in 1983 and was a member of the Labour Party.WEB, Vittachi, Nury, 2017-06-29, HK20: 20 things people hope no one remembers about the 1997 Handover,weblink 2021-07-30, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, en-GB, He was Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 1999.WEB, 2011-10-23, Obituary: Derek Fatchett,weblink 2021-07-30, The Independent, en,

Early life

Born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Fatchett was the son of a painter and decorator. His grandfather was a trade union official. He attended the all-male grammar school, Lincoln School and then the University of Birmingham where he studied Law, graduating in 1966. He joined the Labour Party in 1964. At the London School of Economics he took an MSc in 1968 where he joined in student demonstrations. He was more left-wing in his younger days in the 1960s and 1970s but moved towards the centre-left when an MP, leaving the Campaign Group in 1985.Fatchett was a councillor on Wakefield Metropolitan Council from 1980 to 1984. He became a lecturer in Industrial Relations at the University of Leeds in 1971, staying there until he became an MP. He was selected as the candidate for the new constituency of Leeds Central over Stanley Cohen, who had held the predecessor constituency of Leeds South East, but had considered defecting from the Labour Party to the Social Democratic Party and was opposed by the left wing of the constituency party.{{fact|date=January 2023}}

Parliamentary career

He contested the Bosworth seat in Leicestershire in 1979.After Labour's 1997 election victory, he was made a Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibility for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.NEWS,weblink FO minister Derek Fatchett dies after drinks in local, White, Michael, 1999-05-11, The Guardian, 2019-10-25, WEB, Andrew Whitaker: Labour could learn from Robin Cook,weblink 2021-07-30, www.scotsman.com, 5 April 2016, en, Two years later, whilst still in office, Fatchett died suddenly on the night of 9 May 1999, from a massive heart attack after collapsing whilst in a pub with his wife and a friend. The by-election for his seat was won by Hilary Benn.

Personal life

He married Anita Oakes in Birmingham on 12 April 1969 and had two sons, Brendan and Gareth. He lived in Wakefield.

External links

• Article on his life, BBC 1999
• Guardian Obituary
• By-election after his death
• {{Hansard-contribs | mr-derek-fatchett | Derek Fatchett }}

References

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