Former Brighton Conservative MP Derek Spencer dies aged 87

Sir Derek Spencer was elected as the most recent Tory MP for Brighton Pavilion in 1992 and served as Solicitor-General in the government of John Major.

However, he was ousted by voters in 1997 in favour of Labour’s David Lepper.

Sir Derek had previously served as MP for Leicester South from 1983 to 1987, after being elected by just seven votes.

In the halls of Westminster, Sir Derek was staunchly right-wing, once advocating for the privatisation of the Crown Prosecution Service and voting for the return of the death penalty.

Derek Spencer celebrating his election win in Brighton Pavilion in 1992 (Image: Andy Garth)

He was also a robust defender of traditional values, despite Brighton’s growing cosmopolitan electorate.

During his time as MP in Brighton, he criticised the local council for making a £5,000 grant to the predecessor of the city’s Pride festival.

He slammed the decision and said: “It is going to attract gays and lesbians from all over the south of England to an area where families like to go.”

He also condemned the opening of an estate agency for squatters in the city and sided with a motorist prosecuted for pushing away a boy who demanded cash for cleaning his car’s windscreen, saying: “Aggressive washer boys and beggars are the bane of Brighton”.

Sir Derek Spencer served as Solicitor-General in John Major's government (Image: Argus archive)

A lawyer by trade, Sir Derek was appointed as Solicitor-General by John Major, but he initially thought he was being pranked when offered the role.

When the then-Prime Minister rang him to offer him the post, Sir Derek had thought the call was from a colleague and told him to arrange for a meeting in a few weeks’ time.

During his time in the role, he was involved in Cabinet discussions over the measures Britain could take when Bosnian Serb forces held UK peacekeeping troops hostage during the Bosnian war.

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However, Sir Derek was one of more than 100 Conservative MPs to lose his seat in the Labour landslide of 1997 under Tony Blair.

He suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Labour’s David Lepper on a 15.4 per cent swing.

Sir Derek is survived by two sons and a daughter from his first marriage and a son from his second.