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Sir Edward Heath KG MBE

It is daunting to follow so many eloquent tributes to Sir Edward Heath, but not half as daunting as following him as the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup. Those who knew Ted well would have expected him to be generous and helpful to his successor, and indeed he was. He gave me sound advice and a great deal of encouragement. I wondered whether, having served in the House for 51 years, in his later years he had become a little tired of it all and had slowed down. The average length of service for an MP is between eight and 10 years, so 51 years would give any reasonable person time to slow down a bit. As I padded around the streets of Sidcup and Bexley village, I discovered that Ted was still an assiduous Member of Parliament. Although the House rightly pays tribute to his time as Prime Minister and his renown as an international statesman, the people of Old Bexley and Sidcup will remember a famous Member of Parliament, but one who took an enormous amount of time, patience and trouble over their concerns. They were often surprised when Ted dealt with their concerns personally rather than using a special adviser or assistant. Not only did Ted do the normal jobs such as holding surgeries and visiting schools, but he was a great champion on local issues—for example, selective education still survives in the London borough of Bexley. Ted was, as the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition said, a tremendous champion for selective education, having benefited from grammar school himself, and he fought tooth and nail to establish Bexley grammar school, where he is still revered. Tributes have been paid to Ted’s involvement in the European issue. He was clearly an unashamed Europhile, so naturally he thought that the channel tunnel was wonderful. Sadly for the residents of Sidcup, the proposed rail link went smack through the middle of his constituency, which resulted in a conflict between his avowed Europhile beliefs and his constituents’ interests. He stuck by his constituency and helped his constituents fight for a more sensible route that damaged fewer homes. I have discovered that people had an enormous wealth of respect and affection for their Member of Parliament. I have known Ted since I was 18, when I was northern area Young Conservative chairman. Our leader was my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer), who was young and dashing—he had a sports car and a trendy beard. Ted encouraged the Conservative party youth movement, and he used to have the Young Conservative officers round for dinner at No. 10 or lunch at Chequers, which was impressive. He also used to encourage young musicians and he enjoyed his sport. He will be remembered with affection not only in this House, but outside it. Michael Brown, who is now a distinguished columnist in The Independent, is one former Member who will remember Ted with affection. He served in this House from 1979 to 1997, and he used to sit behind Ted when Ted sat in the seat that is currently occupied by the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner). He used to contribute vociferously and frequently to debates, and his comments made Ted more and more irritable. On the day that Michael Brown was appointed a Government Whip, he was wandering down the Library Corridor, when Ted came out of the Smoking Room—as a former Chief Whip, Ted had an enormous affection for the Whips Office. Michael expected Ted to amble by and ignore him, which he usually did, but on this occasion Ted turned around and said, ““I see that they have managed to shut you up at last.”” By tradition, Government Whips cannot speak in this Chamber. The party leaders and others have rightly paid tribute to Ted Heath the statesman but, for the people of Old Bexley and Sidcup, he was not only an extraordinarily able man, but a conscientious MP and, more importantly, a very good man.