Bill Deedes
William Francis Deedes, Baron Deedes,
KBE,
MC,
DL,
PC (born
1 June 1913) is a veteran
British journalist and a former
politician. He is the only man to have been both a member of the British cabinet and the editor of a major daily
newspaper.
Brought up in a castle and educated at
Harrow, he fought in the
Second World War and was elected
Conservative Party Member of Parliament for
Ashford in
1950. He served as a junior minister under
Churchill for three years. He entered
Harold Macmillan's Cabinet in
1962 as
Minister without Portfolio. He left the Cabinet in
1964, as
Minister of Information, and stood down as an MP 10 years later.
He served as editor of the
Daily Telegraph from
1974 to
1986 and after he was replaced by
Max Hastings he continued as a journalist. His tenure was noted for battles with the print unions.
Deedes was close to
Margaret Thatcher and
Denis Thatcher. The spoof letters "from" Mr. Thatcher which appeared in
satirical magazine
Private Eye throughout the Thatcher years in
Downing Street were always addressed to
Dear Bill - the "Bill" in question being Deedes. The two men regularly played
golf together, with Deedes claiming it was a public service to take the
Prime Ministerial consort away from the stress of being married to the country's governmental head.
According to many sources, Deedes was also the journalist used by
Evelyn Waugh as the model and inspiration for the war hack Boot in the novel
Scoop. Waugh and Deedes had reported together from
Abyssinia in 1936.
Deedes was made a
life peer in
1986, becoming
Baron Deedes, of Aldington in the County of Kent, though has always preferred to be addressed as "Bill" rather than "Lord Deedes".
Married to
Evelyn Branfort (d. May
2004), by whom he had two sons (one of whom died young) and three daughters; Deedes' son, Jeremy Deedes, is a director of the
Telegraph Group of companies. His daughter, Lucy Whaley, is a
master of foxhounds and was the first wife of the
9th Baron Latymer.
Lord Deedes continues to comment on social and political issues through his newspaper columns. He has recently gained a new, cult fanbase after two memorable appearances on
Have I Got News For You and is the oldest guest ever to have appeared on the programme. He is also a stalwart member of the
Carlton Club and has been an
ambassador for
UNICEF since
1998, running high-profile
campaigns against
landmines.
* Deedes, WF,
At War With Waugh: The Real Story of "Scoop", Macmillan, 2003 ISBN 1405005734
* Deedes, WF,
Brief Lives, Macmillan, 2004 ISBN 0330426397
* Deedes, WF,
Dear Bill: A Memoir, Macmillan, 2005 ISBN 140505266X
