Labour leader John Smith Dies, May 1994 

25 years on. Still remember this. A tragic loss. He'd have made a fine PM.

In May 1987 he and Brian Clough both spoke at a Labour rally in Nottingham. In death, they have two things in common. One was the best PM we never had and the other the best England manager we never had.

If John Smith had lived - Tony Blair would never have been.

John Smith always came across as a thoroughly decent man that would have given us back our moral compass.

We can only imagine what might have been.

Major made a good statement on Smith's death.....

One of the best PM's the UK never had. He detested the notion of spin doctors and all their associated evils (Peter Mandelson et al). For that reason alone, he should have been given the chance to lead our country and perhaps we would have been spared all the non-entities and political pipsqueaks this country has had to endure ever since...

John Smiths death was the first time that I recall my dad ever crying. Rest in Power John

Sliding doors moment for the U.K. and not in a good way.

Who knows what Britain would look like today, had Smith lived to be prime minister?

Unlike the conmen and liars who took over from him,John Smith was a decent and honourable person,completely straight and down to earth.

Say what you want about Kinnock but it’s more than clear to see that he really loved and respected John

As a Canadian, I find the parallels amazing between John Smith's death in 1994 and Jack Layton's death just last summer. Very similar circumstances. Both men died young, both were arguably at the cusp of coming to power, and both commanded a large amount of respect even beyond party lines.

Such a tragic loss to the country. He surely would have become PM in 1997. A fine leader, skilled in oratory and political knowledge.

I'm not a Labour supporter, but I always felt John Smith was an excellent politician and would have made a great prime minister.

A tragedy for the whole country. He was replaced by the unmentionable.

I'm a lifelong Tory but even I felt this was a bad day for the country not just the Smith family and Labour Party. His work in moving Labour to the centre-left was absolutely the right way to go (no pun intended) and I personally felt (and still do) that he would have made a fine Prime Minister. In 1994 I was utterly disillusioned by my own party, it seemed another scandal was coming out every day, our policies were becoming ever more incoherent and distasteful and John Major, while a decent enough man personally was simply not strong enough to control the far right of the party OR his own ministers. It may sound strange but I was privately HOPING for a Labour win under Smith because I felt it would force us to reorganise, to stamp the loony right into the dirt where they belonged and get back to being what we were before Thatcher, a party that believed in free enterprise and common sense policies, a strong military and law enforcement AND compassion for those who could not help themselves. To those who say Smith was a communist I would say you're utterly wrong. He was a SOCIALIST, a very different animal indeed. It was never Smith's intent to make Britain a communist state, he wanted a country where everyone had an equal chance to get to the top regardless of background or how much money your parents/family had with the only limiting factors being ability and willingness to work for it. In many ways Smith was more like a moderate Conservative (something I proudly call myself) than many of those who actually wore the blue rosette.

I was a week old so I don’t remember this at all. But my mum has told me that she cried when she heard about John Smith’s death

as Roy Hattersley said "If John Smith had lived, we would have had a proper Labour Government"

Politics in Britain...how far it has fallen in 30yrs. John Smith RIP❤

What’s the point of being in politics if you can’t speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. We’ll never see the like of him again in politics - the humanity he had and the respect he commanded across the whole spectrum. May he rest in peace.

30 years ago. He died two days before my own father passed away.

If he was still alive now, he would have led Labour for many years and I’m certain wouldn’t have ventured into Iraq. His replacement once retiring probably would have been Blair but an older and wiser version. Because of that our country would have been more prosperous and at ease with itself, better prepared against covid and the challenges thereafter. It’s our tragedy we lost him so soon.

Two weeks earlier, on 28th April, (I remember this), Smith visited that same hospital to save a ward that the Tories were planning to close down, and he met Professor Mike Besser, who I believe is speaking, and tried to save his life, two weeks later, on Thursday 12th May 1994.

30 years ago living in England now am 60 living in New Zealand since 2004 what a shame British government has failed its citizens 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

People here seem to be forgetting, the man had already had a heart attack, 5 years earlier and took 3 months to recover, his heart condition was well known and he was alone with his wife when it happened.

Unbelievably tragic moment in our recent political history.

We not only lost a future PM, we in my home town lost a great MP.

Loved John, absolute legend, would have been an amazing pm.

I remember this (it was a month short of my seventh birthday). I grew up in Edinburgh five minutes from his home there and the church where they held his funeral. I still go past the church almost every day and remember the massive crowds that formed.

He died the year I was born I feel sad that I never got the chance to meet him all I can say now is rest in peace The Right Honourable John Smith your legacy will live on

Look at these MPs. The last of our political heavyweights.

Did Teflon Tony get an Oscar for this performance?

"When I think of John Smith, I think of an opponent, not an enemy!" Classy words from Major - if only it was still that way!

30 years this week, since we stunned !!

RIP John Smith. You were the best PM we never had :(

RIP John. You should have led us, and you will never be forgotten.

As a Canadian with a slight interest in U.K. politics, I cannot help but see a parallel between John Smith and Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party (Canada's equivalent of the Labour Party), who died last week at age 61. Like Smith, Layton was a very popular leader--indeed, in last May's Canadian election, he led his party to its best electoral showing ever, becoming Official Leader of the Opposition. But as he was at the brink of wielding this power, he died fairly young.

This opened the door to Blair - and the death of millions!

Instead of Britain getting this man for PM in 1997, they got Tony Blair. History sure loves making fun of us all...

I am not a thatcher supporter but her words describing John was very moving

Suspicious

In retrospect this was the end of the labour party.

I remember meeting him at my uncle’s wedding reception at the ROH in Covent Garden.A charming and very able leader…A huge loss to the country…

What might have been? Not only did John Smith's family lose a loved one; the country lost what might have been a great leader.

The doctor appears to have knighted John Smith postumously, a concept, I feel, would have horrified him. John Smith was the best Prime Minister we never had.

No sadder words............. What might have been.

Damn I searched for the man in the high castle and I got this

Can anyone explain what he was about policy wise. Sounds like the UK wouldn't have been the way it is if he became PM.

@Itsmeeman1. Well said mate, The day John Smith died, So did the Real Labour Party.

Imagine if smith and brown had run the party and country :) if only.

Five straight PMs spoke in this clip.

He was a good man. RIP.

I don't agree with much of his politics but he seemed personally like a very decent person

How dignified they all are. Not like now.

A great politician, and a genuinely good bloke. We never got to see his true potential, and I often wonder what the country would've been like post 1997 general elections (let's face it, Labour would've won regardless of who was party leader). "The opportunity to serve our country, that is all we ask." Brilliant.

I'm not a fan of Blair but he was right when he said that John Smith was the greatest PM we never had. Things could've been so different. :/

The Prime Minister we never had, shame he wasn’t here he would be formidable against Mr Johnson :-)

Would have been a wonderful Prime Minister. Fate plays a cruel hand.

One thing is for sure - even with all the sleaze of those last Major Conservative government years, by this alone as an example of what was said about Smith from both sides...there was a better calibre of MP's back then than what we have today and have had these past years.

When the Labour Party had some quality in it's ranks. Him and Robin Cooke were great talents.

so so sad what could been

25 days later my dad died of a massive heart attack

I was at primary school and my dad came to get me at the end of the day - but when he told me John Smith had died I had no idea who he was talking about

Amazing to see normal, mature, intelligent MPs here... compare to the chimps on all sides of the House of Commons now! What on earth happened??

Smith was New Labour. He would never have won a GE.

The day politics died in this Country

The greatest loss to the Labour movement ever, would have been a fantastic PM

Atleast Smith is a better MP than Major

John Smith’s death was a terrible loss to the Uk and Parliament. A Charming man who I once met and left an outstanding impression upon me.

Smith would never have won a GE. He had caused Labour to lose the 1992 GE.

A huge loss and terrible tragedy for the UK… John was the pinnacle of decency and would have made an outstanding PM.

Would have taken Labour down a different path. No bloody Tony Blair!

Best PM we never had

Blair and Brown may have done things differently, but don't ever think that they weren't genuinely devastated by the loss of a friend and a mentor. Yes, they had issues with his leadership. But don't try and turn them in to two dimensional characters

I reckon there was a foul play.

A paradox occurred with Smith. He was always on the Gaitskellite wing of the Labour party from 1956 when he joined, yet posthumously, he became an iconic figure for the Labour left.

Labour still hasnt recovered from his loss.

I remember the news of his death being broke on the radio, was in my tractor listening intently.....such a blow......such a shame!

Tragic and as a result we got horrible Tony Blair.

Funny how life goes, this gave us PM Blair.

John Smith, Robin Cook, Dr David Kelly RIP.

Blair had him bumped off, just like Robin Cook and Dr David Kelly

This was the day, the proper labour party died. He was a good man and a proper labour man. God bless.

It was not only the day that John Smith died, but the day the Labour party died.

Do you have the extended BBC Nine O'clock news on John Smith's death?

Britain faces a clear and inescapable choice, stability and strong government with John Smith or chaos with Tony Blair.

I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. Truly shocking. It knocked the wind out of my sails. A great man.

would have made a great PM

The best Prime Minister we never had. Johnson, Gove, Hunt etc., etc., would have run a mile rather than face him in Parliament.

And then fucking Tony came in......

Smith was crucial in the creation of New Labour.

This was a great shame for our country

the true labour party died with him.

...and the Labour Party died with him. RIP

The doctor, whom you claim to be "not very professional" met John Smith just a couple of weeks earlier during a campaign to stop a ward being closed down by the Tory Government. This same Doctor was then part of the team which tried to, unsuccessfully, save his life following the heart attack. So yes, you could say they were close colleagues.

What's with the whacky zooming at the end?

A terrible loss for the nation. He would have smashed Thatcher.

Last words of the clip... "He was pacing himself slowly... Too slowly for some party critics" hmmmm

Yet after his death he became an iconic figure amongst the Labour left.