{{Short description|British politician (1941–2026)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Use British English|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Tony Worthington | honorific_suffix = | image = | constituency_MP = Clydebank and Milngavie | parliament = | majority = | term_start = 11 June 1987 | term_end = 11 April 2005 | predecessor = Hugh McCartney | successor = Constituency Abolished | birth_date = {{birth date|1941|10|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England | death_date = {{death date and age|2026|4|20|1941|10|11|df=y}} | death_place = | resting_place = | office1 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Northern Ireland | predecessor1 = Malcolm Moss | succeeded1 = George Howarth | term_start1 = 6 May 1997 | term_end1 = 28 July 1998 | birth_name = William Anthony Worthington | party = Labour Party | appointer1 = Tony Blair | other_party = | spouse = Angela Oliver | relations = | children = 1 son, 1 daughter | alma_mater = London School of Economics (BSc)<br/>University of Glasgow (MEd)<br/>University of York (PGCE)<br/>Durham University (PGCE) | occupation = | profession = FE college lecturer | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | signature = | website = }}
'''William Anthony Worthington''' (11 October 1941 – 20 April 2026) was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Clydebank and Milngavie from 1987 to 2005.
==Early life and education== Worthington was brought up in Lincoln, attending the City School (a boys' grammar school) on Monks Road in Lincoln. He gained a BA in Sociology and Social Policy from the London School of Economics and a MEd from the University of Glasgow. From the University of York, he gained a PGCE, and then an Advanced PGCE from Durham University.
From 1962 to 1966 he was a lecturer in Social Policy and Sociology at HM Borstal, Dover, then at Monkwearmouth College of Further Education (merged with Wearside College in 1996 to form the City of Sunderland College) from 1967 to 1971, then from 1971 to 1987 at Jordanhill College of Further Education in Glasgow. He was a councillor on Strathclyde Regional Council from 1974 to 1987.
==Parliamentary career== In 1979, he tried to win the Labour nomination for the Strathclyde West seat in the European Parliament, but he came third at the selection meeting, behind Valerie Friel and John Carty.
Worthington was Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Clydebank and Milngavie from 1987 until his retirement from Parliament in 2005.
In opposition in the mid-1990s Worthington was part Labour's shadow Northern Ireland ministerial team under Mo Mowlam, as then shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historyofparliament.com/2023/04/04/mo-mowlam-and-the-belfast-good-friday-agreement/|work=The History of Parliament|title=Mo Mowlam and the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement|date=4 April 2023|access-date=15 May 2026}}</ref>
Following the election of the New Labour government under Tony Blair, on 6 May 1997 Worthington was appointed as a deputy to Mowlam at the Northern Ireland Office when she became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Northern Ireland, taking part in supporting Mowlam in the key negotiations which led up to the Good Friday Agreement,<ref name=ukparliament>{{cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/581/career|website=parliament.uk|title=Tony Worthington {{!}} Parliamentary career|access-date=15 May 2026}}</ref> a role he served in until 28 July 1998 when he was sacked as part of the first major ministerial reshuffle of the Blair government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/07/98/cabinet_reshuffle/141238.stm|work=BBC News|title=New faces join government|date=29 July 1998|access-date=15 May 2026}}</ref>
He was noted for his work in relation to asbestosis.<ref name=tributes>{{cite web|url=https://www.clydebankpost.co.uk/news/26051169.tributes-paid-former-clydebank-mp-tony-worthington/|work=Clydebank Post|title=Tributes paid to former Clydebank MP Tony Worthington|first=Emily|last=Moore|date=24 April 2026}}</ref>
In 2003, he voted against the Iraq War.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2003-03-18&house=commons&number=118|work=Public Whip|title=Iraq — Declaration of War - 18 Mar 2003 at 22:00|access-date=15 May 2026}}</ref>
Worthington was not replaced as the MP for Clydebank and Milngavie because constituency boundaries in Scotland were redrawn before the 2005 election. This was to bring the number of MPs per head of population in line with the ratio in England (Scotland had previously been over-represented).
He was awarded an honorary DSc by the University of Greenwich in July 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gre.ac.uk/students/awards-ceremonies/?a=408193|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614152253/https://www.gre.ac.uk/students/awards-ceremonies?a=408193|archive-date=14 June 2011|publisher=University of Greenwich|title=Student information {{!}} Tony Worthington, HonDSc}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Worthington married Angela May Oliver in 1966, and had a son (Robert) and a daughter (Jennifer). He had at least three grandchildren.
In later life he developed prostate cancer and vascular dementia. He died on 20 April 2026, at the age of 84.<ref name=ukparliament/><ref name=tributes/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-tony-worthington | Tony Worthington }} * [http://www.tonyworthington.com/background.htm Autobiography at tonyworthington.com]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef | before = Hugh McCartney }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Clydebank and Milngavie | years = 1987–2005 }} {{s-non | reason = Constituency abolished }} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worthington, Tony}} Category:1941 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Politicians from Lincoln, England Category:Scottish Labour MPs Category:UK MPs 1987–1992 Category:UK MPs 1992–1997 Category:UK MPs 1997–2001 Category:UK MPs 2001–2005 Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics Category:Alumni of the University of York Category:Alumni of Durham University Category:People with vascular dementia