Former Tory MP in Hillsborough smear dies at 83

Sir Irvine Patnick, who was a source for a Sun story criticising the supporters’ behaviour in the tragedy, died yesterday in his home city of Sheffield aged 83.

He was the MP for Sheffield Hallam from 1987 to 1997. A successful businessman before becoming an MP, he was knighted in 1994.

There had been calls for him to be stripped of his knighthood since his role in The Sun’s coverage of the disaster was made clear by the Hillsborough Independent Panel in September.

Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram reiterated those calls yesterday though he added he was unsure such a move was possible now Sir Irvine had died.

The former MP, who previously also served on Sheffield Council and South Yorkshire County Council, apologised for his role in the infamous Sun story in the wake of the panel’s report.

Amid widespread revulsion at the police cover-up which sought to shift the blame for the tragedy to the fans, Sir Irvine said in September he was “deeply and sincerely sorry” about his role.

“It is now clear that the information I received from some police officers at the time was wholly inaccurate, misleading and plain wrong,” he said. “However, I totally accept responsibility for passing such information on without asking further questions.”

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of the crush at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest.

A statement issued by his family said: “Sir Irvine Patnick OBE, died peacefully on 30 December 2012, aged 83, in Sheffield.

“He was a much loved husband of Lynda and father of Suzanne and Matthew.

“He’ll be sadly missed by his brothers and by all his family and friends.”

Alan Ryder, former deputy chairman of the Sheffield Hallam Conservatives, said Sir Irvine always did his best for the city.

Mr Ryder said: “He was a very good councillor in Sheffield and he was also a local MP at a time when obviously, when he was on the council and in government, he was very much a minority in this area, being only one of a very small band of Tories.

“He always did his best for Sheffield, his record over the years shows that, and I’m sure everybody who knew him would say the same.”

But feelings on Merseyside over Sir Irvine’s role in the smearing of Liverpool fans remain raw.

Shelia Coleman, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, said: “Quite simply, Irvine Patnick’s death serves as a timely reminder of why it’s absolutely imperative that all enquiries into the Hillsborough disaster and the subsequent cover-up take place as swiftly as possible.

“Otherwise, we are not going to be able to hold people responsible for their role in the scandal.

“It needs to be remembered that this man vilified Liverpool and was part of a lying machine which shamefully damaged the reputation of those fans.

“The purpose of his death should be to put increasing pressure on the authorities to ensure that investigations are not delayed any further so that people can be held accountable.”

Mr Rotheram said: “It’s fair to say that there won’t be too many tears shed on Merseyside tonight.

“He will certainly be remembered on Merseyside for his duplicity and his role in the cover-up.”

He added: “It is nearly 24 years since the disaster, and the families now won’t be able to see some of the perpetrators face justice.

“Therefore it’s really important that fresh inquests start work as swiftly as possible.

“I don’t know if it’s possible to have a knighthood revoked posthumously, but the sooner we can reach a conclusion the better for everyone involved.”