Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith – ‘Charming’ man of politics
MP who caused election upset in Labour stronghold dies at 86
Published: 26 August, 2010
by DAN CARRIER
WHEN Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith stood up for the first time to speak in the House of Commons, he had a real advantage over other rookie MPs making that daunting debut.
The former Tory member for Holborn and St Pancras, who passed away earlier this month, aged 86, had previously enjoyed a career as a TV reporter and news presenter before taking on the south Camden constituency between 1959 and 1964. It meant public speaking was second nature to him, a fact that was not missed by his fellow politicians.
And rather than spell out the political ideals that spurred him to quit a lucrative job at the BBC for the murky world of Westminster politics, Sir Geoffrey used the occasion to heap praise on the voters who had ticked the box next to his name in what had been a Labour stronghold.
He said: “I cannot claim that he who is tired of Holborn and St Pancras South is tired of life, but I do claim that within the boundaries of my constituency one will find as rich a microcosm of London life and human endeavour as one will find anywhere else.”
He defeated the incumbent Labour MP Lena Jeger, though only by 600 votes – many commentators believed the victory was down to the Liberals’ failure to put up a candidate.
Sir Geoffrey went on to represent East Grinstead and Wealden until 2001, and held positions as an under-secretary and a whip.
Drawing on his media training, he would often front party political broadcasts and was credited for playing a major role in the election of Ted Heath in 1970.
Though he supported Margaret Thatcher, and was loyal to her right up to the moment she was deposed in 1990, Sir Geoffrey was also pro-European and a staunch critic of capital punishment.
Born in Glasgow, the son of an electrical engineer, he went to Oxford University and served as a captain in the Royal Artillery during the war. He joined the BBC in 1954 as a producer but soon moved in front of the camera.
When he was elected, he used his position in the Commons to attack the “red” St Pancras council at any opportunity – yet worked to get government backing for a council-run meals on wheels service for older people.
Former Camden Conservative leader Martin Morton said: “He was an absolute charmer. He was very photogenic, but above all, he was a good politician.”
Sir Geoffrey, who was knighted in 1982, is survived by his wife, Jeanne, and their two sons and one daughter.