Roy Hattersley, a prominent figure in British Labour Party politics and a key advocate for the party’s move toward the political center during challenging years in opposition, died on Saturday at his home in Derbyshire, England. He was 93. His death was confirmed by his brother-in-law, Norman Pearlstine.

Hattersley served as deputy leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992 under Neil Kinnock. During this period, he played a leading role in efforts to rein in the party’s left-wing factions and unify Labour after a series of internal ideological battles. Political observers credit him with helping to prepare Labour for its eventual return to government in 1997, an election won decisively by Tony Blair’s “New Labour” movement.

Despite this contribution, Hattersley later became one of Blair’s most candid critics, accusing the former prime minister of abandoning Labour’s working-class roots. He described Blair’s leadership as a departure from the values of the party he had joined decades earlier. In subsequent years, Hattersley also opposed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, expressing concerns over how the party handled allegations of antisemitism amid Corbyn’s pro-Palestinian stance. His political positions included steadfast opposition to Brexit and fee-paying private schools, which he viewed as perpetuating inequality.

Born in Sheffield on December 28, 1932, Hattersley’s early life was marked by surprising family revelations. After his father’s death in 1973, he learned from a letter that Frederick Hattersley had once been a Roman Catholic priest who had left the priesthood under dramatic circumstances decades earlier. Hattersley chronicled this history in his 2017 book, “The Catholics.” His mother, Enid Hattersley, was active in local politics and served as lord mayor of Sheffield. She introduced him to Labour politics, taking him on campaign trails as a child.

Hattersley studied economics at the University of Hull and embarked on his political career early, becoming the youngest member elected to Sheffield City Council at age 23. He entered Parliament in 1964, representing Birmingham Sparkbrook, a seat he held for 33 years. Throughout his parliamentary career, Hattersley held junior ministerial posts in Labour governments led by Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. Notably, in 1969, he signed an order that deployed British troops to Northern Ireland at the onset of The Troubles.

A committed pro-European, Hattersley was one of 69 Labour MPs to support Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community in the early 1970s—a decision that divided the party and shaped decades of British political debate. He remained loyal to Labour during the turbulent early 1980s when a faction of senior members split to form the Social Democratic Party.

After losing the Labour leadership contest to Kinnock in 1983, Hattersley served as deputy leader until the party’s defeat in the 1992 election, when he and Kinnock both resigned. He stepped down from Parliament ahead of the 1997 election, the same year Blair led Labour back to power. That year, Hattersley was made a life peer as Baron Hattersley of Sparkbrook and took a seat in the House of Lords.

Outside politics, Hattersley was a prolific writer, producing around 20 books and a long-running political column for various publications. Known for his wit, he embraced satire, including appearances related to portrayals of him in the television show “Spitting Image.” His literary works spanned topics such as the Roman Catholic Church, historical figures like David Lloyd George, and personal memoirs that included stories from the perspective of his late dog, Buster.

Hattersley was married twice: first to educator Edith “Molly” Loughran in 1956, with whom he later divorced in 2013, and subsequently to Maggie Pearlstine, his literary agent, who survives him. Despite never attaining Labour’s top leadership role, Hattersley’s influence on the party’s direction and his long tenure in British politics left a notable legacy. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described him as “a giant of the Labour movement” upon announcing his passing.