The co-founder of the Liberal Democrats, Dick Taverne has died at the age of 97.
Lord Taverne was a founder of the Lib Dems , when the SDP merged with the Liberal Party in 1988. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 1996.
Paying tribute, party leader Sir Ed Davey said he was “a passionate, principled and thoughtful colleague.”
The MP for Lincoln between 1962 and 1974, serving as a minister in both the Treasury and the Home Department, he famously won the 1973 Lincoln by-election, having resigned from the Labour Party over his pro-European views.
In 1970, Lord Taverne became the first Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years Janice and by his daughters Suzanna and Caroline.
In a statement, the family said “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dick Taverne.
“He was a much loved and loving husband, father and grandfather. We will all miss him enormously. He died peacefully early this morning at home in London.”
Lord Dick Taverne has died
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Sir Ed Davey told GB News: “Dick was a passionate, principled and thoughtful colleague who will be sorely missed by all of us in the Liberal Democrat family.
“A founding member of our party, Dick was a passionate European who inspired us all with his sharp intelligence and incredible experience in government, politics and beyond over many decades.
“His long and exceptional record of public service is an inspiration to us all, a reminder of what politics can be at its best.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who loved him.”
Dick Taverne at the 1973 Lincoln by-election
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Liberal Democrat Leader in the House of Lords, Jeremy Purvis, added: “Dick was a greatly valued colleague whose commitment to the causes in which he believed, European integration and cooperation, rational political and economic debate, and fairness, were steadfast.
“He used his voice in the Lords on those issues to great effect.
“As the Budget approaches, the foundations he laid as the first director of the IFS we still benefit from today.
“He will be greatly missed and, while we are deeply sad to lose him, we remain inspired by his energy and principles.”
Dick Taverne, SDP leader Robert Maclennan and Roy Jenkins during the SDP-Liberal merger in 1988
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Lord Taverne lost his Lincoln seat at the October 1974 election but remained active in the Democratic Labour Association until it folded after the 1979 General Election, won by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives.
He joined the SDP when it was formed in the early 80s, standing for the party in the 1982 Peckham by-election, where he finished second behind future Labour deputy leader, Harriet Harman and ahead of future Tory minister, John Redwood.
Lord Taverne stood in Dulwich for the SDP at the 1983 General Election, finishing in third behind future Labour peer, Kate Hoey.
He played a major role in the merger between the SDP and Liberals to form the Liberal Democrats in 1988, where he sat on Federal Policy Committee from 1989 until 1990.