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Lord Horam obituary
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Lord Horam, who died aged 87, represented Labour, SDP and Conservatives in the Commons. His party switches earned him the nickname 'dirty double-rat' from Dennis Skinner.
Background
John Horam, Lord Horam, was a British politician who had a unique career of representing three different parties in the House of Commons. He began as a Labour MP, then defected to the SDP in 1981, and later joined the Conservatives in 1987. He served as a junior minister in both Labour and Conservative governments. His obituary was published in The Guardian on August 18, 2026.
How it unfolded
- 1970Elected as Labour MP for Gateshead West.
- 1976Appointed junior minister in the Department for Transport under James Callaghan.
- Jan 1981First MP to join the Gang of Four's Council for Social Democracy.
- Mar 1987Announced he was joining the Conservative Party after talks with Thatcher and Tebbit.
- 1992Returned to Parliament as Conservative MP for Orpington.
- 1995Appointed junior minister for public services and science by John Major.
- recentlyDied aged 87; obituary published in The Guardian.
Who’s saying what
- Critics
- Dennis Skinner called him a 'dirty double-rat' for switching parties twice.
- Supporters
- Horam justified his changes with Churchill's quote: 'It is better to change your mind than be wrong all the time.'