John Nott 1 February 1932 – 6 November 2024

John Nott, Secretary of State for Defence during the Falklands Conflict, died on Wednesday 6 November 2024

The defence secretary who served in office during The Falklands War has died.

John William Frederic Nott, known for being a sharp-tongued Conservative politician, passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Born on February 1, 1932, Mr Nott would go on to serve in Margaret Thatcher’s government when the Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands.

Forces would go on to sail from Portsmouth and defend the British Territory. Mr Nott, of Bideford, Devon, was educated at Bradfield College and was commissioned as a regular officer in the 2nd Gurkha Rifles between 1952 and 1956. Her served in the Malayan Emergency after previously being in the Royal Scots.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

John Nott, the Conservative politician who served as the defence secretary during The Falklands War, has died aged 92. Pictured is him waving to departing servicemen as the liner QE2 leaves Southampton carrying 3000 British troops to South Georgia during the Falklands War, 12th May 1982.

He would go on to continue serving as the MP for St Ives, in Cornwall, between 1966 and 1983. Mr Notts would become the first secretary of state for trade, before moving to the defence role in a cabinet reshuffle. He was criticised by Royal Navy chiefs in 1981 over the Defence White Paper, which outlined cuts to forward naval expenditure.

The Argentine forces invaded The Falklands on April 2, 1982, with Mr Nott’s speech clarifying the government’s position leading to calls from members of his own party to resign. He believed that the Archipelago could not be recaptured once seized by the Argentinians. In the days that followed, he twice offered to resign, with Margaret Thatcher declining.