Paul Goggins - obituary - Telegraph Goggins once claimed in a BBC interview that his family was the inspiration for the "Mrs Goggins" character in the Postman Pat children's television series. David Blunkett confided that whether or not this was the case, the nickname had stuck to Goggins himself while they served together at the Home Office. Paul Gerard Goggins was born on June 16 1953 . From St Bede's School, Manchester, he went on to Ushaw College. Instead of entering the priesthood, he left at 20 to study for a Certificate in Residential Care of Children and Young People at Birmingham Polytechnic (now Birmingham City University), graduating in 1976. He gained further qualifications in social work at Manchester Polytechnic. While still at college, Goggins was a childcare worker with Liverpool Catholic Social Services, and after graduating he ran a children's home in Wigan for eight years. From 1984 to 1989 he was project director for Action for Children in Salford; then, until his election to Parliament, he was national director of Church Action on Poverty. Goggins dated his interest in politics to attending a rally on Biafra in Manchester in 1968; the following year he joined protests against the Springbok rugby tour . In 1990 he was elected a Salford councillor. In the Labour landslide of 1997, Goggins was elected for Wythenshawe and Sale East with a 15,019 majority on the retirement of Alf Morris . He was put on the Social Security Select Committee, then in October 1998 was appointed PPS to John Denham, Minister of State for Social Security. Three months later he moved with Denham to the Department of Health. Goggins's association with Blunkett began in December 2000, when he became PPS to the then Education and Employment Secretary; after the 2001 election Tony Blair made Blunkett Home Secretary, and Goggins moved with him. In May 2003 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Home Office, with responsibility for prisons and probation; when Blunkett stood down in December 2004 Goggins carried on under Charles Clarke. After the 2005 election he took on serious and organised crime, the voluntary sector, faith and race equality. In May 2006 Blair moved Goggins sideways to the NIO, with responsibility for health, security and prisons. A year later, just before Blair gave way to Gordon Brown, he was promoted to Minister of State. He kept responsibility for security, also taking on policing and being closely involved in the continuing political efforts to make the peace process stick. Brown acknowledged his contribution in 2009 by making him a Privy Counsellor. After Labour's defeat in 2010 Goggins ran the unsuccessful leadership campaign of his friend Andy Burnham, and served on the Intelligence and Security Committee. Paul Goggins died after suffering a stroke. He married, in 1977, Wyn Bartley, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. Paul Goggins, born June 16 1953, died January 7 2014