Ian Willmore

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Portrait of Ian Willmore UK activist and campaigner.

Ian Willmore (5 November 1958 – 7 April 2020), is a British activist who played a leading role in defending the independence of the civil service in the 1980s. He also campaigned for legislation to ban smoking in public places and standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Biography

Willmore was born in Cardiff on 5 November 1958 to parents Oliver Willmore (architect) and Anne (nee Burnell). He died following a heart attack on 7 April 2020.[1]

Career

After Marlborough College, he studied Philosophy and Theology at Oriel College, Oxford before joining the Civil Service as an administrative trainee at the Department of Employment.

In December 1983 he leaked a memorandum to Time Out which included information about advice the Master of the Rolls, Sir John Donaldson, had given advice to Michael Quinlan, the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Employment, on the future of the law relating to industrial relations. He took this action because he believed this was cynical government interference in the traditional independence of Civil Service departments amounting to constitutional subversion, which he believed should be made public.[2] The leak was widely covered by the media and, having admitted his part and resigned, Willmore explained his motivation on Granada TV’s World in Action.[3]

The Attorney-General, Sir Michael Havers QC, decided against prosecuting Willmore, saying that Section 2 should be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary. The case has been recognised as one of the most notable 20th century cases involving official secrets legislation or leaks of government information.[4]

Willmore then campaigned on youth unemployment for YouthAid, before working for the Transport and General Workers Union from 1985-91. He wrote General Secretary Ron Todd’s controversial speech to the Tribune rally at the 1988 Labour Party conference, which with its finger-pointing at ‘Filofax-wielding modernisers’ grabbed front-page headlines.[5]

A long-standing member of the Labour Party, Willmore was a Haringey Councillor for South Tottenham Ward between 1988 and 1997,[6] and held positions including Deputy Leader and Chair of Finance.[7] He stood for parliament twice as a Labour candidate, in South West Hertfordshire in 1987[8] and in Braintree in 1992.[9] He worked for Labour MP and shadow cabinet minister Michael Meacher from 1994–97 and then as head of Friends of the Earth’s press office from 1997 to 2003, where he turned his colleagues’ academic research into press releases that would gain tabloid coverage.

Smoke-free campaigning

He joined Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in 2003 as Media and Campaigns Manager, where he played an important role in the campaign for smoke-free laws to include pubs and clubs, won on a free vote in parliament in 2006 and implemented in England in 2007.[10][11] The legislation led to a significant reduction in heart attacks (MI) resulting in 1,200 fewer emergency admissions for MI in the year following the introduction of smokefree legislation. There was also a significant increase in the number of people making an attempt to give up smoking at the time the legislation was implemented (July and August 2007), equivalent to 300,000 smokers in England trying to quit. A study of bar workers in England showed that their exposure to second-hand smoke reduced on average between 73% and 91% and measures of their respiratory health significantly improved after the introduction of the legislation.[12][13] UK public health experts voted it the greatest UK public health achievement of the 21st century.[14]

Willmore returned to work for ASH on a part-time consultancy basis and played a key role in the campaign for legislation to require standardised cigarette packaging. Having consulted on standardised packaging, David Cameron’s government had decided not to proceed[], until a group of cross-party backbench peers tabled an amendment requiring standardised packaging to the Children and Families Bill going through parliament in 2013.[15][16] Like the smokefree laws, the legislation was achieved, with Willmore's help, on a free vote in parliament. When the tobacco manufacturers took forward a judicial review challenging the legislation, ASH acted as an intervener in support of the Government. The lawyers Sean Humber at solicitors Leigh Day, who instructed barristers Peter Oliver and Ligia Osepciu from Monckton Chambers, acted pro bono for ASH.[17][18] Willmore drafted the detailed brief for the lawyers and attended every day of the court case. The judgement found overwhelmingly against the tobacco manufacturers and the legislation was implemented in 2017.[19]

Projects and Interests

Willmore had many and eclectic interests alongside politics and was a talented jazz pianist and chess player.[20]

Publications

He wrote many articles for the national and political press. Most notable were his accounts of the Climbie affair and the subsequent inquiry, and what he saw as the establishment’s search for scapegoats, ‘An evasion of responsibility’[21] and ‘Passing the Buck’.[22]

During his time as Media Coordinator of Friends of the Earth Willmore wrote a monthly column on environmental issues for the Observer website.[23][24][25][26][27]

He was co-author of articles analysing how the campaign for smokefree legislation in England achieved success.[28]

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Kathy (26 June 2020). "Ian Willmore obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Pyper, R (1985). "Sarah Tisdall, Ian Willmore, and the Civil Servant's "Right to Leak"". The Political Quarterly. 56: 72–81. doi:10.1111/j.1467-923X.1985.tb02337.x.
  3. ↑ British FIlm Institute. "British Film Institute". collections-search.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Maer L and Gay O (December 2008). "Official Secrecy" (PDF). House of Commons Library.
  5. ↑ "Ron Todd". The Independent. 2 May 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Minors, Michael. (1998). London Borough Council elections 7 May 1998 : including the Greater London Authority referendum results. Grenham, Dennis., London Research Centre. Demographic and Statistical Studies Department. London: London Research Centre. Demographic and Statistical Studies. p. 74. ISBN 1-85261-276-2. OCLC 40179592.
  7. ↑ Posted by AnnieHall on 1 December, 2008 at 14:02 in Council Services Local Democracy & Politics; Discussions, View. "Haringey Council Leader resigns". www.harringayonline.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "South West Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)", Wikipedia, 17 June 2020, retrieved 21 June 2020
  9. ↑ "Braintree (UK Parliament constituency)", Wikipedia, 1 May 2020, retrieved 21 June 2020
  10. ↑ Arnott, Deborah; Willmore, Ian (18 July 2006). "Smoke and mirrors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Willmore, Ian (14 July 2002). "Ian Willmore: How to make corporations accountable". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Arnott, Deborah; Willmore, Ian (18 July 2006). "Smoke and mirrors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Bauld, Linda (March 2011). "The Impact of Smoke-Free legislation in England. Evidence Review" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. University of Bath.
  14. ↑ RSPH. "Top 20 public health achievements of the 21st century". www.rsph.org.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Victory for child health as Commons approves standard packs law & end of smoking in cars with children". Action on Smoking and Health. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  16. ↑ Torjesen, I. (30 November 2014). "UK is urged to introduce standardised tobacco packs as Australia marks policy's second anniversary". BMJ. 349 (nov28 10): g7373. doi:10.1136/bmj.g7373. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 25447634. S2CID 33483185.
  17. ↑ "Tobacco Companies' Legal Challenge to Standardised Tobacco Packaging Fails: Other Countries to Follow UK Lead". Action on Smoking and Health. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Green, Justice (15 May 2016). "Case No: CO/2322/2015, CO/2323/2015, CO/2352/2015, CO/2601/2015& CO/2706/2015" (PDF).
  19. ↑ Green, Justice. "Approved Judgment -CO/2322/2015, CO/2323/2015, CO/2352/2015, CO/2601/2015& CO/2706/2015" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "In Memory of Ian Willmore – 5th November 1958 – 7th April 2020". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  21. ↑ Willmore, Ian (26 January 2003). "Ian Willmore: An evasion of responsibility". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  22. ↑ Willmore, Ian (12 January 2002). "Ian Willmore: This shameful buck-passing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  23. ↑ Willmore, Ian (23 June 2002). "Ian Willmore: Trade justice needs more than words". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  24. ↑ Willmore, Ian (14 July 2002). "Ian Willmore: How to make corporations accountable". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  25. ↑ Willmore, Ian (18 August 2002). "Ian Willmore: corporate cash and the earth summit". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  26. ↑ Willmore, Ian (24 November 2002). "Ian Willmore: Slick business?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  27. ↑ Willmore, Ian (29 September 2002). "Ian Willmore: Money talks at Blackpool". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  28. ↑ Arnott, D.; Dockrell, M.; Sandford, A.; Willmore, I. (1 December 2007). "Comprehensive smoke-free legislation in England: how advocacy won the day". Tobacco Control. 16 (6): 423–428. doi:10.1136/tc.2007.020255. ISSN 0964-4563. PMC 2807200. PMID 18048621.
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