John Nott, Former Defence Secretary During Falklands War, Passes Away at 92

Sir John Nott, the Conservative defence secretary during the Falklands War, has passed away at the age of 92. After Argentina’s invasion of the South Atlantic islands, Sir John tendered his resignation on two occasions. However, the then-Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, declined to accept it, leading him to remain in his post until the war’s end. Subsequently, he resigned to pursue his business ventures. His political career, which lasted nearly two decades, also included roles in the Treasury and the trade department, in addition to serving as the Member of Parliament for the Cornish constituency of St Ives. Nevertheless, he gained wider recognition for abruptly exiting a television interview. This occurred when broadcaster Sir Robin Day, questioning him about defence spending reductions, described him as a “here today, gone tomorrow politician”. Sir John removed his microphone and stated, “I’m sorry, I’m fed up of this interview. It’s ridiculous” before departing the studio. Reflecting on the interview in 2002, he informed the BBC that Sir Robin “was just looking, as interviewers do, to create trouble”. He further explained, “I was thinking of my farm, and the harvest and the green fields of England and half my brain was saying, ‘why do I have to sit here listening to all this ridiculous questioning’.” He concluded, “I just got bored with it and just walked out.” He maintained a humorous perspective on the event, subsequently naming his memoir ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’. Born in 1932, he received his education at Kings Mead Schools, Steaford, Bradfield College, and Trinity College Cambridge. Additionally, he held the rank of lieutenant in the Gurkha Rifles, participating in combat during the Malayan Emergency, which was a communist-led uprising against the British colonial administration. During the 1966 election, he secured the St Ives seat for the National Liberals, a party that merged with the Conservatives two years later. He steadily advanced in his parliamentary career, and in 1981, Margaret Thatcher appointed him as her defence secretary. More than a year into his tenure, he, like the broader British government, was largely unprepared for Argentina’s attack on the Falkland Islands, a territory claimed by Argentina. Sir John encountered strong criticism in the House of Commons for not anticipating the assault and for leaving the islands susceptible to invasion. Already affected by disputes concerning defence spending reductions the previous year, he implored Thatcher to permit his resignation. Although she accepted the resignation of Lord Carrington, then foreign secretary, she declined to allow Sir John to leave, stating “she could not possibly accept” while the British taskforce was still engaged in its mission to reclaim the islands. Initially, Sir John had harbored doubts about the UK’s ability to recover the territory; however, these reservations quickly vanished, and he later commended the deployment as “a remarkable achievement”. In a 2002 interview with the BBC, he dismissed criticism regarding the controversial sinking of the Argentine vessel, the Belgrano, an event that resulted in the deaths of 323 sailors. He stated, “We didn’t start the war – there was a great army of people who tried to somehow blame the war on us. (But) we were negotiating peacefully with the Argentinians.” He continued, “It was a terrible tragedy. I was shocked when all those Argentinian soldiers died. It was terrible really.” Nevertheless, he noted that following the incident, the Argentine Navy did not venture out to sea, adding: “If we had had to contend against not only the very brave Argentine pilots but against the Argentine navy it would have been very much more difficult.” After Britain’s victory in June 1982, Sir John once more sought permission to resign and ultimately succeeded in 1983. He resumed his banking career, a profession he had engaged in prior to entering Parliament, assuming the chairmanship at Lazard Brothers. He maintained some political engagement, and in 1999, the then-Conservative leader William Hague appointed him to lead a commission opposing the UK’s adoption of the Euro. During the 2016 Brexit referendum, he resigned from the Conservative Party in objection to what he termed a “tirade of fear” emanating from the then-Prime Minister David Cameron. In his later years, he began writing, authoring a political autobiography along with two additional books chronicling the “adventures of an old age pensioner”. These works, titled Mr Wonderful Takes a Cruise and its follow-up Mr Wonderful Seeks Immortality, describe his journeys to locations including Bromley, Balham, and the nightclub Spearmint Rhino. In a 2014 interview with the Daily Mail, he acknowledged “great concern” that by writing the books—which contain descriptions of sexual fantasies and visits to lap dancing clubs—he had “let the family down”. However, he stated that he was 82 and “what does it matter what I say? Nobody’s going to take a blind bit of notice anyway”. He is survived by his wife and three children, among whom is Sasha Swire, author of the memoir, Diary of an MP’s Wife. Swire honored her father in a social media message, stating: “RIP my beloved father, John Nott, protector, politician, farmer, me.” Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel commented: “John Nott was an inspiring defence secretary and politician who stood up, alongside Margaret Thatcher, to aggression.” She added, “His resolute determination to free British sovereign territory from tyranny is as important today as it was during the Falklands conflict.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.