Reginald Maudling - Last Years and Death

Last Years and Death

In 1969, he had been President of the Real Estate Fund of America, whose Chief Executive, Jerome Hoffman, had been imprisoned for fraud; Maudling had also been an adviser to the Peachey Property Corporation, whose Chairman Sir Eric Miller had embezzled company money and later committed suicide. He was revealed to have lobbied for more aid to Malta after obtaining a commission for Poulson there, which had led to heavy losses to the Maltese government. These further revelations led to a Parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of Maudling and two other MPs linked to Poulson. This inquiry published its report on 14 July 1977; the report concluded that Maudling had indulged in "conduct inconsistent with the standards which the House is entitled to expect from its members".

When the report was considered by the House of Commons, the Conservative Party organised its MPs to attend the debate to "Save Reggie". An amendment was put down to "take note" of the report, instead of endorsing it, and carried by 230 votes (211 Conservatives, 17 Labour, 2 Liberals and 2 Ulster Unionists) to 207. No punishment was imposed. An attempt by backbench Labour MPs to expel Maudling from the House was defeated by 331 votes to 11, and a move to suspend him for six months was lost by 324 to 97. As Lewis Baston's 2004 biography recounts, Maudling and his wife became heavy drinkers once his political career was effectively ended by the scandal. The drinking turned to alcoholism and Maudling's health rapidly deteriorated in the late 1970s. In early 1979, he collapsed and there were fears that his treatment would be hindered by the strikes in the "Winter of Discontent". He died on 14 February of cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure in the Royal Free Hospital at the age of 61. His seat was retained by Conservative Sydney Chapman in the general election on 3 May 1979, in which the Conservatives returned to government.

He is buried in the churchyard of the Hertfordshire village of Little Berkhamstead, where a stone seat from the Maudlings' garden has been placed beside the grave.