Sir Bernard Ingham



The journalist and broadcaster Sir Bernard Ingham was born in Hebden Bridge, the son of a weaver.

He started his working life in 1948 as a reporter with the Hebden Bridge Times, then in 1952 moving to the Yorkshire Post – where he became Northern Industrial Correspondent. For a time, he was in the Halifax office of the Yorkshire Post. He then went on to write for the Yorkshire Evening Post, and the Guardian.

He then joined the Civil Service. He was Press Secretary for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her 11 years in power, and she is on record as saying that he was

the best press secretary in the world

He gained a reputation as a manipulator of the media, and his comments to the press about certain government ministers marked the beginning of the end of their time in office. This brought calls for him to be replaced amid claims that he was Britain's most powerful non-elected figure.

In [Q4] 1956, he married Nancy H. Hoyle in Halifax.

Child: John B. [b 1958]

In April 1987, he was the target of a letter bomb.

He was knighted in 1990.

Since 1991, he has been a non-executive director of McDonald's UK.

He appears regularly on BBC ONE's Breakfast television programme where he reviews the day's newspapers.

His published works include

Nancy died in 2017.

Bernard died 24th February 2023 (aged 90)




© Malcolm Bull 2024
Revised 15:27 / 15th November 2024 / 3854

Page Ref: X1904

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