Why Michael Heseltine was the ‘Only Good Tory’

When it comes to Liverpool and politics, it isn’t too hard to figure out how most of the city feels.

When the results of the 2024 general election came through, every single seat in the parliamentary constituencies of Merseyside went to a Labour politician.

It wasn’t always the case, but by the time the 1980s rolled around a Tory would struggle to be given a cup of tea in Liverpool, let alone get elected. Speak to some Scousers, though, and there is one Tory that they won’t have a bad word said about: Michael Heseltine.

There aren’t many Tories who have been given the Freeman of the City of Liverpool, but Heseltine did in 2012.

‘Managed Decline’

If one sentence can be said to sum up the approach of Margaret Thatcher’s government towards Liverpool then it is the words ‘managed decline’. The words were uttered by Geoffrey Howe at a time when he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer and suggested leaving Liverpool to rot.

The notion came after nine nights of violence that resulted in 500 arrests and nearly the same number of injured police officers, which was amongst the worst urban disorder that the United Kingdom had ever seen. There was something of a split in Thatcher’s cabinet between those who agreed with the ‘managed decline’ approach and those that didn’t.

@best4britain Lord Michael Heseltine is at it again! This time he’s ruining the Talk TV lot as they spout more Brexit nonsense 👏🏽👏🏽 #fyp #politicaltiktok #politics #enoughisenough #brexit #brexitmemes #thatcher #talktv #news #politicsuk ♬ original sound – Best for Britain

Heseltine was on the side that didn’t agree. Instead, he wanted to engage in a process of intervention, favouring replacing urban governors that had been democratically elected with centrally-appointed corporations that would look to develop the urban areas and be business-led.

Heseltine’s hope was that this would breathe new life into not just Merseyside but also other post-industrial areas around Britain that were suffering because of Thatcher’s decision making. As the chairman of the Merseyside Partnership, Heseltine was responsible for channeling money into the city of Liverpool and was asked to spend a period of time there.

Taken in by the People

Heseltine was a self-made man with a flamboyant personality, which perhaps helped him in a city full of flamboyant types. He persuaded business leaders and the heads of banks and building societies to tour Liverpool on a coach and second a bright young manager to his team.

He posted a 21-page minute to cabinet entitled ‘It Took a Riot‘, which failed to impress Thatcher but did lead to him being appointed the ‘Minster for Merseyside’ for 12 months. Over the next couple of years, Heseltine visited Liverpool at least once a day most weeks, refusing police protection and trying to persuade other business leaders to do the same.

The 1984 Liverpool International Garden Festival regenerated an old tip. Showcase for Michael Heseltine’s reinvention of the city for tourism, the city council was not involved.
Since my childhood visit the oriental pavilion, ponds etc. have slowly been rewilding through neglect. pic.twitter.com/6rebsh1u4S

— Philip Anderson (@P_G_Anderson) November 9, 2020

Although he initially faced suspicion, he got on well with local leaders and did what he could to improve Liverpool’s standing. He took a lead out of the Bundesgartenschauen approach that had aided the regeneration of German cities after the Second World War and arranged for Liverpool to host five National garden festivals.

He arranged for unused government grants in other cities to be redirected to Merseyside, but arguably his biggest influence was in ensuring the redevelopment of the Albert Dock. There has been a plan to fill in the dock and turn it into a car park before Heseltine realised its cultural significance.

His Greatest Achievement

In 2023, Michael Heseltine stood on The Strand and said that seeing how well Liverpool was doing ‘brought tears’ to his eyes. He said that the work that he’d done in the city was his ‘greatest achievement‘, declaring, “In 1980 there were a thousand beds in hotels, today there are nine thousand beds in hotels and that tells you all you need to know, that there’s been a huge regeneration.

The city is on a springboard, it’s not a static phenomenon. This city is going places and it’s very exciting to see”. He also looked at the fish in the River Mersey and realised what he’d accomplished by cleaning up what was ‘an open sewer’ in the 1980s.

There will always be many who point to the fact that he is still a Tory and that very few of them care a jot about Liverpool. Yet in 2012 he was given the Freedom of the City, being the only Conservative MP to receive the honour. In essence there have been two main driving forces making Liverpool the city that it is today, with the European Union being one and Michael Heseltine being the other.

It is little wonder, therefore, that many consider him to be the ‘only decent Tory’. Yes he served in Margaret Thatcher’s government, but he fought for Liverpool and that’s something worth offering him praise for.