Eric Varley attended the local secondary modern school after failing his eleven-plus but left at the age of fourteen in 1946.
15 Facts About Eric Varley
2.
Eric Varley's mother was determined that he should not go down the pit, and he began his working life as an apprentice turner at Staveley iron works, before qualifying as an engineer's turner in 1952.
3.
Eric Varley was active in the National Union of Mineworkers, and became a branch secretary of the union in 1955, joining the Labour Party the same year.
4.
Eric Varley was narrowly selected in June 1963 and duly held the Chesterfield seat in the 1964 election.
5.
Eric Varley served briefly as a junior minister under Tony Benn at the Ministry of Technology from 1969.
6.
Eric Varley was appointed Secretary of State for Energy in March 1974 when Labour returned to power.
7.
Eric Varley began the procedure to nationalise North Sea oil.
8.
In November 1976 Eric Varley suffered an embarrassing public defeat when he determined to shut down the loss-making Chrysler car factory: the Cabinet forced him to increase its subsidy to keep it open.
9.
Eric Varley continued the government's slow nationalisation programme by appointing Michael Edwardes to take over at British Leyland.
10.
When Labour went into opposition in 1979 Eric Varley was elected to the Shadow Cabinet in fifth place.
11.
Eric Varley led Denis Healey's campaign for the party leadership in 1980 and defeated the left-winger Norman Atkinson for the post of party Treasurer in 1981.
12.
Eric Varley served as opposition spokesman on employment, and resisted an attempt by Michael Foot to replace him with Neil Kinnock in 1982.
13.
Eric Varley served five years at Coalite, and later held other directorships, including a regional director for Lloyds Bank from 1987 to 1991.
14.
Eric Varley was the daughter of Alfred Turner, a coal miner.
15.
Eric Varley died on 29 July 2008 of cancer at his home.