Obituary: Paul Goggins MP
Obituary: Paul Goggins MP
6 June 1953 –7 January 2014
NIO Minister 2006 –2010
“He was Labour to the core but at the same time the least tribal of politicians” was one of the many warm and heartfelt tributes paid to Labour MP Paul Goggins who passed away (aged 60) on 7 January, a week after collapsing while out running with his son. Those words, from Speaker John Bercow, perhaps explain the sheer breadth and depth of the tributes which flowed from all sides of politics upon news of his death.
In London, the Prime Minister lamented the loss of “a kind and brilliant man” while Labour leader Ed Miliband described Goggins as “a man of deep faith and one of the kindest, most decent people I have ever had the privilege of meeting”.
Paul Goggins spent seven years on Salford City Council before being returned to Westminster as MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East in 1997 and at each election thereafter. For most of his time in Parliament, he served as a government Minister across a wide range of departments. He was in health and social services before working alongside David Blunkett in education and again in the Home Office.
He was appointed to the Northern Ireland Office in May 2006 and held responsibility for the justice and security portfolio as well as health and social services. It was during this time that he encountered and got to know many of Northern Ireland’s leading politicians. Remarkably, and certainly unusually for a direct rule Minister of State, Goggins had a great ability to empathise with local leaders and became a highly respected figure in Northern Ireland, well regarded across the political divide.
This was shown by the comments of politicians speaking in a Northern Ireland Assembly tribute tabled by SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell. On that day, McDonnell himself described Goggins as a “friend and confidant” who “unlike many of those who served here, never forgot us as individuals or parties”.
DUP MP Gregory Campbell described Goggins as a “man of his word” while Michael McGimpsey (UUP) and Alliance leader David Ford – who succeeded Goggins in health and justice respectively – paid tribute to his helpfulness and his desire always to achieve the best outcomes for people. McGimpsey generously reminded people that it was Goggins who had initiated the anti-suicide strategy and the ban on smoking in public places. Sammy Wilson described Goggins as a politician driven by faith who “never hid that, but did not preach it”.
What is clear from the tributes is that Paul Goggins was much more than a likeable politician: Despite his non-tribal and non-preaching approach, he was undoubtedly driven in word and deed by his Catholic faith and his Christianity. He had spent several early years in a Catholic seminary although he did not become a priest. He had been the National Director of a Catholic Church charity prior to becoming an MP. He had quietly broken rank with his Labour colleagues and voted against gay marriage. He was the Secretary of the Westminster all-party group on poverty.
Paul Goggins was a politician who cared passionately about the poor and the vulnerable and who followed his conscience. He worked hard at doing what he thought was right and delivering what he thought was best for those he served.
The outpouring of grief from the political class was much more than the normal kind words marking the death of a fellow politician. It was evidence that Goggins’ death, and his exemplary life, had given many of them pause for thought on why they, or anyone, should become a politician in the first place.
