Provost of Oriel College’s tribute to Lord Haselhurst

I was very sad to learn about Lord Haselhurst’s death on the 1st of June. We were honoured to have someone of Alan’s eminence and political standing among our alumni.

Alan served Parliament for more than 50 years, including for 40 years as the MP for Saffron Walden. He was knighted in 1995, served as Deputy Speaker of the Commons for more than a decade, and was introduced to the Lords in 2018.

You may remember that Alan was kind enough to be our Guest Speaker at the annual London Dinner at Lambeth Palace in 2017. We greatly appreciated his taking the time to do this.

In recent years, my contact with Alan was also through the House of Lords. I greatly admired Alan’s commitment, integrity and drive.

I heard Kemi Badenoch’s tribute in the House on Wednesday before PMQs which beautifully expressed her admiration and affection for Alan.

We understand, of course, that Alan’s public work was only one aspect of his life.  On behalf of the staff, students and alumni of Oriel College, we offer our heartfelt sympathies to his family and send them our best wishes at this difficult time.