Sir Irvine Patnick, former Conservative MP for Sheffield Hallam, has died aged 83.
Patnick held the seat for a decade between 1987 and 1997, during which time he was the only Tory MP in South Yorkshire. He retired from politics after being beaten in the 1997 election by Liberal Democrat Richard Allen.
Earlier this year, Patnick was forced to apologise for his part in the spread of misinformation following the Hillsborough disaster after he was identified as one of the sources for the Sun's infamous "The Truth" front page. He said he was "deeply and sincerely sorry" and had been given "wholly inaccurate" information by South Yorkshire Police.
During his parliamentary career, Patnick supported Section 28 and reintroduction of the death penalty and opposed sanctions on South Africa during apartheid. He is also thought to have coined the phrase "People's Republic of South Yorkshire" to describe Sheffield city council under the leadership of David Blunkett.
He was knighted in 1980 while a member of South Yorkshire county council and Sheffield city council, on which he had served since 1967.