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Sir Bernard Ingham Wiki – Bio
Sir Bernard Ingham was born on June 21, 1932, in Hebden Bridge, United Kingdom and died on February 24, 2023, at the age of 90.
Sir Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher’s longtime press secretary, has died aged 90. The renowned former civil servant, who was also press secretary to respected Labor MP Tony Benn, has died after a brief illness, his family said.
Sir Bernard began his journalism career at the age of 16 at his local newspaper in West Yorkshire. He worked with The Guardian before becoming a government press officer, but positioned himself as a staunch enemy of the ‘twist’, criticizing those who practiced ‘black art’. Sir Bernard would manage the media as Lady Thatcher’s press secretary for all but the first few months of her tenure. He was knighted in honors of her resignation and wrote a book, Kill The Messenger, about her life at number 10.
Sir Bernard was married to Nancy Ingham, a former police officer, for 60 years. He died in 2017. He leaves behind a son, two grandchildren, and a great-grandson. John Ingham thanked his father’s nursing home, Tupwood Gate in Caterham, Surrey, and his previous carers at the home for “wonderful care and support” from him.
He served under Mrs. Thatcher between 1979 and 1990 and was knighted in honor of her resignation. He was a Fleet Street journalist at The Guardian before becoming a government press officer, serving as Mrs. Thatcher’s press secretary for all but the first few months of her tenure. After leaving Downing Street, he wrote his memoir, Kill The Messenger, and worked as a political pundit, after-dinner speaker, cruise ship lecturer and newspaper columnist.
His family said he was “a journalist to the core”, and he started at 16 at his local newspaper in West Yorkshire, The Hebden Bridge Times, and was still filling in weekly columns for Express Online and The Yorkshire Post until a few days before he deceased. His son, John Ingham, said: “To the rest of the world, he is known as Margaret Thatcher’s press officer, a formidable operator in the Whitehall and political jungle. But to me, he was my father, and a great father at that. He was a fellow soccer fan and an adoring grandfather and great-grandfather. My family will miss him very much.’
Age
Sir Bernard Ingham was 90 years old.
Cause of Death
Sir Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher’s longtime press secretary, has died aged 90. The renowned former civil servant, who was also press secretary to respected Labor MP Tony Benn, has died after a brief illness, his family said.
Tributes
Former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor said: “I am saddened to learn of the death of Sir Bernard Ingham.” He was a formidable communicator and political operator.’
Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns hailed Sir Bernard as a ‘servant of a lost age’, tweeting: ‘He was the great communicator in a time when politicians had great things to communicate.
‘He also knew that he was not the story but the vessel to carry it. A servant of a lost age. And a lovely man. RIP.’
Alastair Campbell, who was Press Secretary for Downing Street under Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair, said: “I am sorry to hear that Bernard Ingham has died.
“He wasn’t the biggest supporter of former No. 10 press secretaries when I was doing the job, far from it.
“But when he was a journalist covering Margaret Thatcher, despite working for a newspaper completely opposed to her and her policies, he always treated me fairly and with consideration.
“We had many nice discussions both then and afterward. He was enormously loyal to Mrs. T and her team.
“And although he wasn’t a Turf Moor regular, he always identified himself as a Burnley fan, which marks him out in the eyes of everyone.”
Although employed as a politically neutral civil servant, Sir Bernard proved to be a controversial figure.
Liverpool fans being unable to face the ‘inconvenient truth’ of the ‘real cause’
In 2016, he was outraged by refusing to apologize after describing Liverpool fans as ‘cocky hooligans’, blaming them for the Hillsborough disaster. Sir Bernard wrote a letter in 1996 in which he tried to dissuade Hillsborough activists from taking action, claiming he would do Liverpool no good in the “eyes of the nation”. He added that the disaster had only developed due to ‘cocky hooligans’ who tried to ‘force their way into the ground’ before saying Liverpool should ‘shut their mouths on Hillsborough’.
In a second letter to campaigners that was unveiled today, he accused Liverpool fans of being unable to face the ‘inconvenient truth’ of the ‘real cause’ of the tragedy. But despite fans being exonerated of any blame, Sir Bernard refused to apologize for his comments. After the long-awaited verdict, which placed the blame squarely on South Yorkshire Police, he told a Daily Mirror reporter: “I have nothing to say.”
Sir Bernard previously defended his comments by claiming that he and Thatcher, who was then Prime Minister, were tipped off by officials who apparently told them the fans were at fault. When he was confronted by the Liverpool Echo in 2013, Sir Bernard admitted that he had not taken the time to read the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report and that he had formed his own opinion of it based on media reports. In the first letter, sent to Liverpool fan Graham Skinner, whose friend had died in the disaster, Sir Bernard said the city should “stop talking about Hillsborough”. Earlier, in 1999, Sir Bernard found himself in court after a lengthy dispute with his neighbor.
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