Denis Healey | Ex-British official, 98
Denis Healey, 98, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer during a period of economic turmoil and trade union unrest in the late 1970s who reportedly threatened to squeeze the rich "until the pips squeak," died Saturday at his home in England, the British Broadcasting Corp. said, citing a family statement.
Denis Healey, 98, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer during a period of economic turmoil and trade union unrest in the late 1970s who reportedly threatened to squeeze the rich "until the pips squeak," died Saturday at his home in England, the British Broadcasting Corp. said, citing a family statement.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne described Mr. Healey as a "giant of the Labor movement" who was "chancellor in the most difficult circumstances."
Born in the year of the Russian Revolution, Mr. Healey became a member of the Communist Party as a student at Oxford University, later moving to the Labor Party, where he narrowly missed out on the leadership after the party lost power to the Conservatives in 1979. He was a member of Parliament for 40 years until 1992, when he entered the House of Lords.
"Healey did not attain the highest office," wrote biographer Edward Pearce. "But because he was not obsessed with the highest office, that has been our loss not his grief." - Bloomberg