Lord Barnett, the Jewish peer who gave his name to a famous public spending formula, has died aged 91.
He served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the Wilson and Callaghan Labour governments of the 1970s.
During that time he oversaw the creation of what became known as the Barnett Formula, the mechanism used to split public funding between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In recent years Lord Barnett had argued that the system was unfair and should be revised following devolution.
First elected as an MP in 1964, the Manchester-born politician represented the constituency of Heywood and Royton.
His parents, impoverished tailor Louis and Ettie, had earlier sent a young Joel Barnett to work in a warehouse to help provide much-needed funds for the family.
He had been a promising student, graduating from Hebrew school to win a scholarship at Manchester Central High School.
During the war he served in Germany with the British military government.
After meeting his wife-to-be, Lilian, at a Maccabi club in Manchester, he became an accountancy clerk and a member of the Fabian Society.
Aged 33, he was elected as Labour’s first councillor in Prestwich in 1956 before making it to Westminster eight years later.
He was a regular speaker at Jewish communal events during his years in government.
Elevated to the Lords after stepping down at the 1983 election, he became a treasury spokesman in the upper house.
Lord Barnett’s daughter, Erica, said he had died peacefully on Saturday.
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