
The death of Lord Brittan, at the age of 75 from cancer, was greeted with sorrow by his family and the admiration of his political peers, but with disappointment from abuse victims' groups seeking answers about an alleged establishment paedophile ring.
As the youngest Home Secretary since Winston Churchill, Lord Brittan was a key member of Cabinet after the Conservative landslide of 1983 swept Margaret Thatcher back to power.
He was a central figure in the controversy over the policing of the miners' strike and the Libyan embassy siege that resulted in the fatal shooting of PC Yvonne Fletcher. He was forced to resign from the cabinet over the Westland affair and spent a decade in Brussels as one of the UK's European commissioners.
"Leon Brittan was a dedicated and fiercely intelligent public servant," David Cameron said. "As a central figure in Margaret Thatcher's government, he helped her transform our country for the better by giving distinguished service as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
"He went on to play a leading role at the European Commission where he did so much to promote free trade in Europe and across the world. My thoughts are with Leon's family and friends at this sad time for them." Sir John Major said Lord Brittan had one of the most "acute and perceptive brains" in politics that he used unsparingly for the public good.
Comment: See: UK Establishment: Unmasking psychopathic faces - Pedophilia and murder in VERY high places