10th June 1934 – 26th February 2023

RamsTrust is sad to announce the death of one of its earliest members, Lord Tom Pendry. Tom was always very interested in what the trust was doing and rang the officers from time to time to give his views. This was particularly so during the Sleightholme years and most recently during our period in administration.

Lord Pendry is often said to be ‘the finest sports minister we never had’.

He entered politics through the trade union movement, having worked as an official for the National Union of Public Employees for 10 years from 1960. He was a member of the former Paddington Borough Council (1962-65) and chaired Derby Labour party when he moved to the city in 1966 and married Moira Smith. Moira was the youngest alderman in the country at the age of 26 and became Chair of the Derby Education Committee and later Chair of the whole of Derbyshire Education Committee. Tom became the parliamentary candidate for Stalybridge and Hyde in 1970 and won 8 successive elections and remained the MP for 31 years. He was unlucky that in those 31 years, 26 of them were in opposition.

Tom Pendry proved to be a busy and conscientious MP, often involved with high-profile issues, particularly on sporting matters, such as football hooliganism and crowd control at sports grounds. He was a founder member and Chair of the all-party football group and ran the House of Commons football team.

In 1992 under Neil Kinnock he became Shadow Minister for Sport, a job he absolutely loved and his lifelong passion for sport – and football in particular – led him to believe in 1997, when Labour swept to power, that Tony Blair would appoint him to be Minister for Sport. Sadly Blair didn’t feel that someone in their early 60s was go-getting and vibrant enough for his New Labour style and Tom Pendry was overlooked for Tony Banks to his bitter disappointment.

He felt harshly done to as in 1995 he had persuaded then Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan to speak at a Labour Party rally on Tyneside which had delighted Blair but not sufficiently to appoint him Minister for Sport, although he then became Chair of the government-funded Football Trust from 1997-99.

in 2000 he was made a member of the Privy Council and after the 2001 general election he was elevated to the House of Lords. The new Lord Pendry used this elevation to further his career in sport governance and became President of the Football Foundation in 2003 having previously been Chair of the organisation from 1999. It was in 2003 when he joined RamsTrust as a genuine Derby County supporter. He had lived in Derby during the great Clough era and became a fan then. It was quite a coup for the trust to have the President of the Football Foundation as a member.

We enjoyed having him as a member and were happy for him in 2018 when Stalybridge Celtic FC in his former constituency named the Lord Tom Pendry stand as a personal tribute to him.

Whilst Derby’s MPs were raising questions in the House of Commons during Derby’s recent administration, Lord Pendry was asking questions in the House of Lords on our behalf.

Those of us who received his phone calls will miss them, he always made us smile and he was absolutely committed to the idea of supporters having a bigger say in football’s governance. How delighted he would have been about the independent regulator and the thought of supporters on shadow boards.

Rest in peace Tom and thanks for your support for the trust.

The Baron Pendry, PC 1934-2023, Member 717