



Dobson was Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras from 1979. He was secretary of state for health under Tony Blair, from 1997 to 1999, and the official Labour candidate for mayor of London in 2000, losing to Ken Livingstone

Why are you standing down now?

I’m OK at the moment, but in another five years I’ll be 80, so I could either be dead or very decrepit. People keep stopping me in the street, and phoning, saying how sad they are that I’m going, and my wife, Janet, said it’s clearly the time to go – rather than hanging on till people say, “Christ, are you still around?”

What was your proudest moment?

My proudest moment is nothing to do with me, really. I’d been a member of the anti-apartheid movement since 1959, and sitting in Westminster Hall, with Janet – it still makes me cry now – when Mandela came to speak [in 1996]. All those years of boycotting oranges and getting wet through on marches...We’d dreamed of it but we never really believed it would happen. That’s the one moment I wouldn’t have missed.

What’s your biggest regret?

Resigning as health secretary to run as Labour candidate for mayor of London, which in retrospect was about as stupid as they come.

Were you talked into doing it?

No. People always say that Blair made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and that’s not true. I thought I could do a good job, and I would have been, er, [laughs] more of a free agent – free from him and Gordon.

Is that partly what motivated you?

Yes, and the idea of doing something to make it possible for ordinary people to afford to live in London in decent homes. That was my obsession, and remains my obsession.

Did that episode damage your career?

Yes, I suppose, but I don’t really see it in those terms. Blair had promised me I’d be brought back in, and he didn’t keep his promise. But I’ve never been one to go moaning on about the past, it’s a waste of bloody time.

So you’re not tempted to have another go?

No! [laughs] Ruler of the world, yes, but not mayor of London.

What were the biggest opportunities missed by the New Labour government?

We failed terribly on housing. It was quite right to put a lot of effort into improving the existing stock of council housing, but we just didn’t build the housing we should have done. The other big failure is that we should have changed the law to make it easier for women to get an early abortion, because even if you’re against abortion, an early one’s better than a late one.

You opposed the invasion of Iraq. Did you ever consider resigning?

No, no, no. It was a Labour government and I’m Labour, and if I don’t always get my way, who does? I have to say, because I am quite critical of Tony, it is impossible to exaggerate his personal contribution to sorting things out in Northern Ireland. I don’t think anybody else could have achieved the Good Friday agreement.

How has parliament changed?

The behaviour in the chamber is much worse than it ever was. As shadow leader of the house, I was enthusiastically in favour of us televising parliament and I pooh-poohed all of the criticisms – all of which have turned out to be true! I mean, have you ever heard anybody on the telly making a serious speech? They said it will just be the nutters shouting and screaming, and that is exactly what it is.

How has it changed for the better?

The increase in the number of women is wonderful. I have always doted on the company of women, despite the fact that in the 47 years I’ve been married I’ve been entirely faithful.

What will you miss about being an MP?

Somebody once said there’s nobody as “ex” as an ex-MP and I can see that. I’m not saying I have a lot of status now, but I won’t have any.

You seem to wear your heart on your sleeve. Is that a disadvantage in politics?

I honestly don’t know. It’s who I am, I suppose. I can be fairly stony-faced… the problem is, I’m a sucker for anyone who can make me laugh.

Who’s the funniest politician?

It was Ian Paisley. He was a bigoted old sod, but he was very clever and very funny. A well delivered joke can be more damaging to opponents than anything. I remember when the Tories sold Rover, the car company, for a pound, or some ridiculous sum, and I said: “The reason why they sold it so cheap was they thought it was a dog.” Even the other side laughed.

What advice would you give to a new MP?

That nobody’s really important here: the only people who are important are those who cry when you die, not the ones who look at your majority.