Lord Young, founder of the Open University, dies at 86

The social reformer and educationalist Lord Young of Dartington, founder of the Open University and the Consumers' Association, has died aged 86.

As Michael Young, he was a key figure in the postwar Labour Party, writing the manifesto for the 1945 election, and heading the party's research department until 1951. Yet he never aspired to the political front line, preferring to work outside Parliament to effect social change.

Tributes yesterday were led by Tony Blair, who said: "Few people have made such a contribution to our society in so many different areas as Michael Young. On consumer rights, on widening access to education through the Open University, and on social entrepreneurship, he coupled radical thought with practical action ... Michael Young was without doubt a seminal figure of the centre-left over the last century. He was that rare combination – not just a great thinker but a great doer."

Lord Young's education at the progressive Dartington Hall school in Devon profoundly influenced his thinking. In 1953, he set up the Institute of Community Studies in the East End of London as a base for his growing interest in sociological research. From there, the Consumers' Association and Which? magazine were launched in 1956.

His vision of a "university of the air" played a central role in the creation of the Open University and he received one of its first honorary degrees, in 1973. He was married three times and had six children.