Former British finance minister and "Labour party giant" Denis Healey died on Saturday, aged 98, after suffering a short illness, his family said. Instantly recognisable for his bushy eyebrows, Healey was the last surviving member of Labour prime minister Harold Wilson's 1964 cabinet, when he became defence minister. He served as chancellor of the exchequer between 1974 and 1979, during which time Britain lurched from economic crisis to crisis, culminating in a request for a loan from the international Monetary Fund..
Healey, born in south east London in 1917, served as a member of parliament for 40 years before joining the House of Lords in 1992. He ran for the Labour party leadership in 1980, losing out to eventual winner Michael Foot by just 10 votes. He then took up the role of deputy party leader. Figures from across Britain's political spectrum paid tribute. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called Healey a "Labour giant whose record of service to party and country stands as his testament."
Current finance minister George Osborne called him a "giant of the Labour movement" who had been in office "in the most difficult circumstances". "Very sorry to hear that Denis Healey has died," tweeted Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon. Conservative MP Eric Pickles added: "Very sad to hear of the death of Denis Healey, a fellow Keighley lad, and on the occasions I had the privilege to meet him, great company." Healey, who died at his home in Sussex, south England, was a vocal pro-European, but often warned of the dangers of a single currency, saying it would lead to "riots in the streets".
Having started out as a communist, he later softened his stance, much to the chagrin of the party's far-left factions. He developed a reputation as a political street fighter with a boisterous command of the English language and a keen turn of phrase.
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