Difference between revisions of "Alan Howarth"
m (Text replacement - "King's College, Cambridge" to "King's College (Cambridge)") |
m (Text replacement - " served as " to " was ") |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Howarth,_Baron_Howarth_of_Newport | |wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Howarth,_Baron_Howarth_of_Newport | ||
|spouses=Gillian Chance | |spouses=Gillian Chance | ||
| − | |alma_mater=King's College (Cambridge) | + | |alma_mater=Rugby School, King's College (Cambridge) |
|birth_date=1944-06-11 | |birth_date=1944-06-11 | ||
| + | |description=a British Labour Party and formerly Conservative Party politician | ||
| + | |image=Official portrait of Lord Howarth of Newport crop 2.jpg | ||
|birth_place=Marylebone, England | |birth_place=Marylebone, England | ||
|nationality=British | |nationality=British | ||
| Line 18: | Line 20: | ||
}} | }} | ||
}} | }} | ||
| + | '''Alan Thomas Howarth''', '''Baron Howarth of Newport''' is a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and formerly [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] politician who was a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) from [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]] until [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]]. He is one of few politicians in recent years to have was a minister in both Labour and Conservative governments, and is now a Labour [[life peer]] in the [[House of Lords]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Early life== | ||
| + | He is the son of Major Thomas Howarth MC (Chief Master of [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]], Second Master of [[Winchester College]] and High Master of [[St Paul's School, London|St. Paul's School]]) and Margaret Teakle (who was a [[Women's Royal Naval Service|Wren]] in the [[Second World War]]). He was educated at [[Rugby School]] and gained a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] in History from [[King's College, Cambridge]] in 1965. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Howarth subsequently worked in the [[Chairman of the Conservative Party|Conservative Party Chairman's]] office in [[Conservative Central Office]] under [[Willie Whitelaw]] and [[Peter Thorneycroft]], before becoming director of the [[Conservative Research Department]] and party vice-chairman.<ref name=guardian>https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1995/oct/08/uk.anthonybevins </ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Parliamentary career== | ||
| + | Having been awarded a [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in the 1982 [[New Year's Honours]]<ref>https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/48837/supplement/8</ref> for political service, Howarth was [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] MP for [[Stratford-on-Avon (UK Parliament constituency)|Stratford-on-Avon]], first elected in 1983. He was a founder member of the Thatcherite [[No Turning Back (political group)|No Turning Back]] group. He was a [[Whip (politics)|whip]], and was subsequently Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for [[Department for Education and Skills (United Kingdom)|Education and Science]] from 1989 to 1992, becoming the architect of the [[Polytechnic (United Kingdom)|polytechnics]]' transition to [[New universities (United Kingdom)|university status]].<ref name=guardian /> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Defection=== | ||
| + | On Saturday 7 October 1995, he announced his resignation from the Conservative Party and defected to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], the first MP to defect directly from the Conservatives to Labour, and the first former Conservative MP to sit as a Labour MP since [[Oswald Mosley|Sir Oswald Mosley]]. He wanted a new seat to contest as a Labour candidate and, after failing to win the seats of [[Wentworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Wentworth]] and [[Wythenshawe and Sale East (UK Parliament constituency)|Wythenshawe and Sale East]], he was selected for the safe Labour seat of [[Newport East (UK Parliament constituency)|Newport East]] in [[Wales]]. The [[National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain)|National Union of Mineworkers]] leader [[Arthur Scargill]] stood against him under the [[Socialist Labour Party (UK)|Socialist Labour Party]] banner, but he easily held the seat for Labour. | ||
| + | |||
| + | After the election victory of 1997 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment, becoming Minister for the Arts at the [[Department of Culture, Media and Sport]] the following year. He is also a member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]. He was dropped from the government after the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]]. He stood down from the House of Commons at the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]]. [[Jessica Morden]] was selected to replace him as candidate by the [[Constituency Labour Party]]. By the time he stood down, he had spent only 18 months of his 22-year career as an MP on the opposition benches (October 1995 to May 1997). | ||
| + | |||
| + | On 15 June 2005 he was created a [[life peer]] as '''Baron Howarth of Newport''', of [[Newport, Wales|Newport]] in the [[Gwent (county)|County of Gwent]].<ref>https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/57678/page/7991</ref> In a House of Lords debate on the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|Outcome of the European Union Referendum]] on 5 July 2016 Lord Howarth announced his support for [[Brexit|Britain's departure from the European Union]].<ref>https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2016-07-05/debates/FA935259-4199-4220-B9C3-6E93C4D17514/OutcomeOfTheEuropeanUnionReferendum#contribution-2C9D1A80-D04D-42DE-BF13-25970D23D6E9 }</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Personal life== | ||
| + | Howarth married Gillian Chance in 1967. They have two daughters (born 1974 and 1975) and two sons (born 1977 and April 1985). They divorced in 1996. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | |||
{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
| − | |||
Latest revision as of 21:12, 2 August 2022
Alan Thomas Howarth, Baron Howarth of Newport is a British Labour Party and formerly Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1983 until 2005. He is one of few politicians in recent years to have was a minister in both Labour and Conservative governments, and is now a Labour life peer in the House of Lords.
Early life
He is the son of Major Thomas Howarth MC (Chief Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham, Second Master of Winchester College and High Master of St. Paul's School) and Margaret Teakle (who was a Wren in the Second World War). He was educated at Rugby School and gained a BA in History from King's College, Cambridge in 1965.
Howarth subsequently worked in the Conservative Party Chairman's office in Conservative Central Office under Willie Whitelaw and Peter Thorneycroft, before becoming director of the Conservative Research Department and party vice-chairman.[1]
Parliamentary career
Having been awarded a CBE in the 1982 New Year's Honours[2] for political service, Howarth was Conservative Party MP for Stratford-on-Avon, first elected in 1983. He was a founder member of the Thatcherite No Turning Back group. He was a whip, and was subsequently Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science from 1989 to 1992, becoming the architect of the polytechnics' transition to university status.[1]
Defection
On Saturday 7 October 1995, he announced his resignation from the Conservative Party and defected to the Labour Party, the first MP to defect directly from the Conservatives to Labour, and the first former Conservative MP to sit as a Labour MP since Sir Oswald Mosley. He wanted a new seat to contest as a Labour candidate and, after failing to win the seats of Wentworth and Wythenshawe and Sale East, he was selected for the safe Labour seat of Newport East in Wales. The National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill stood against him under the Socialist Labour Party banner, but he easily held the seat for Labour.
After the election victory of 1997 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment, becoming Minister for the Arts at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport the following year. He is also a member of the Privy Council. He was dropped from the government after the 2001 general election. He stood down from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election. Jessica Morden was selected to replace him as candidate by the Constituency Labour Party. By the time he stood down, he had spent only 18 months of his 22-year career as an MP on the opposition benches (October 1995 to May 1997).
On 15 June 2005 he was created a life peer as Baron Howarth of Newport, of Newport in the County of Gwent.[3] In a House of Lords debate on the Outcome of the European Union Referendum on 5 July 2016 Lord Howarth announced his support for Britain's departure from the European Union.[4]
Personal life
Howarth married Gillian Chance in 1967. They have two daughters (born 1974 and 1975) and two sons (born 1977 and April 1985). They divorced in 1996.
References
- ↑ a b https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1995/oct/08/uk.anthonybevins
- ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/48837/supplement/8
- ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/57678/page/7991
- ↑ https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2016-07-05/debates/FA935259-4199-4220-B9C3-6E93C4D17514/OutcomeOfTheEuropeanUnionReferendum#contribution-2C9D1A80-D04D-42DE-BF13-25970D23D6E9 }
