Aneurin "Nye" Bevan (pronounced a’nai.rin)15 November 1897 – 6 July 1960) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people. He was a long-time Member of Parliament representing Ebbw Vale, Wales for 31 years, and became recognised as one of the leaders of the party’s left wing, and of left-wing British thought generally. His most famous accomplishment came when, as Minister of Health in the post-war Attlee government, he spearheaded the establishment of the National Health Service in 1946, which to this day provides medical care free at point-of-need to all Britons. The principle being that ... no society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means. After 18 months of ongoing dispute between the Ministry of Health and the BMA, Bevan finally managed to win over the support of the vast majority of the medical profession by offering a couple of minor concessions, but without compromising on the fundamental principles of his NHS proposals. Bevan later gave the famous quote that, in order to broker the deal, he had "stuffed their mouths with gold". Some 2,688 voluntary and municipal hospitals in England and Wales were nationalised and came under Bevan's supervisory control as Health Minister.
“the NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it.” Aneurin Bevan
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