Baroness Williams of Crosby, a prominent politician famous for being part of the “Gang of Four” who formed the Social Democrat Party and who spent years as a Liberal Democrat peer, has died peacefully at the age of 90. As well as being well-known for her intellect and her numerous roles in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons, she was a lifelong Catholic.
She held values that were shaped and guided by her faith, which was extremely important to her. In 2015 Baroness Williams, who opposed the nature of the UK’s action during the Iraq War, described to The Guardian how her father, who had been a Second World War soldier and academic, taught her St Thomas Aquinas’ Just War Theory (by which a set of criteria must be met for a war to ever be justified).
She was originally a Labour Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister and was one of the “Gang of Four” who founded the Social Democratic Party in 1981. Between 2001 and 2004, she served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords and, from 2007 to 2010, as adviser on nuclear proliferation to Gordon Brown when he was prime minister.
Tributes from across the political spectrum show how widely respected she was, not just for her intelligence but for her kindness and principled morals.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, a fellow Catholic who worked with Shirley Williams when he was a Lib Dem MP in Edge Hill, Liverpool and as a crossbench Peer in the House of Lords, told The Tablet how her faith informed her politics: “Shirley’s Faith and her approach to public life and politics were inextricably linked. Her book God and Caesar sets out how faith can inform and enhance political life. But hers was never a blind or unthinking faith. Her trenchant defences of the sanctity of human life, for instance, always combined both faith and reason – intelligently and sensitively entering into the arguments of opponents but without abandoning her own belief, even when it risked making her unpopular.”
Sarah Teather, director of the Jesuit Refugee Service and a former Liberal Democrat MP, said: “She was such a personal support to me during my time in Parliament. Her humour, wisdom and kindness always made the most difficult situations seem clearer to face.”
Lady Williams was a long- time supporter of Cafod, and was among the group of parliamentarians who pushed for St Oscar Romero to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
The director of Cafod, Christine Allen, said: “She was a great political figure with deep integrity, conviction and principled belief, whose Catholic faith was important to her in shaping her political and public life.”
Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron described her as a mentor, saying: “They say you should never meet your heroes – Shirley Williams was an exception. She was joyful, inspiring, gentle, decent, tough, brave and determined. She was unique with gracious humility and star quality all at the same time. A lovely friend and an inspiring mentor.”
Labour MP David Lammy, who was her student, said: “I was lucky to be taught by her at Harvard and to forge a friendship across the political divide in politics. Kind, eclectic with the sharpest of minds she was a female pioneer and a giant of the political centre ground”
The BBC News presenter Huw Edwards said: “Fond memories of working over many years with Shirley Williams. A kind, decent, principled woman with a sparkling intellect.”
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran tweeted: “Devastated to hear that Shirley Williams has died. She was an enormous personal inspiration and I will always be grateful for her kindness, humour and encouragement. Mother of the SDP and the Liberal Democrat Party she was a trailblazing titan of politics. May she rest in peace.”
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