Conservative peer and former Football League chairman Brian Mawhinney dies
Conservative peer and former party chairman Brian Mawhinney has died at the age of 79.
Mawhinney was an MP for Peterborough between 1979 and 1997, before becoming MP for North West Cambridgeshire between 1997 and 2005.
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The Belfast-born former radiology professor was party chairman between 1995 and 1997.
He was knighted in 1997 and awarded a life peerage in 2005.
In 2003, he was made chairman of the Football League, a position he held for seven years.
His family released a statement today, saying the “much-loved husband, father and grandfather and a friend to many” died yesterday after suffering from a long illness.
“His death brings an end to a life dedicated to public service and rooted in an unwavering Christian faith,” it read.
Mawhinney sat in John Major’s cabinet between 1992 and 1997.
He held the positions of health minister, transport secretary and minister without a portfolio.
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He was made shadow home secretary for a year under William Hague.
EFL chairman Rick Parry told the BBC: “Everyone associated with the EFL is saddened to hear of the loss of Lord Mawhinney, a hugely respected and influential figure in our recent past, most notably for his work as chairman of the Football League but also for the significant impact he had on the wider game.”