Roy Jenkins

Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, OM, PC (November 11, 1920 – January 5, 2003) was a British politician and a prominent Labour Member of Parliament in the 1960s and 1970s, and founding member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

MP and Minister

Having previously failed to win in Solihull in 1945, he entered the British House of Commons in 1948 as representative for Southwark; owing to constituency boundary changes this seat was due to be abolished, however. In 1950 he became MP for Stetchford and represented the division until 1977. Jenkins was principal sponsor, in 1959, of the bill which became the Obscene Publications Act, which was responsible for establishing the liable to "deprave and corrupt" criteria as a basis for a prosecution of suspect material and literary merit as a defence.

Related Topics:
Solihull - 1945 - British House of Commons - 1948 - Southwark - Boundary - 1950 - Stetchford - 1977 - 1959 - Obscene Publications Act

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At first Minister of Aviation in the Wilson government elected in 1964, he was Home Secretary from 1965 to 1967, where he was responsible for the relaxation of the laws relating to divorce, abolition of theatre censorship and gave government support to David Steel's Private Member's Bill for the legalisation of abortion and Leo Abse's bill for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Wilson, with his puritan background, was not especially sympathetic to these developments, however. Jenkins replied to public criticism by asserting that the so called permissive society was in reality the civilised society.

Related Topics:
Minister of Aviation - Wilson - 1964 - Home Secretary - 1965 - 1967 - Divorce - Censorship - David Steel - Private Member's Bill - Abortion - Leo Abse's - Homosexuality - Puritan - Permissive society

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From 1967 to 1970 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing James Callaghan following the devaluation of the pound in November 1967. He quickly gained a reputation as a particularly tough Chancellor, although he was hesitant about increasing taxes and reducing expenditure. It is though, generally assumed that Labour's defeat in 1970 was partly the consequence of one month's bad trade figures announced a few days before the election and his delivery of a fiscally neutral Budget shortly before the election.

Related Topics:
1970 - Chancellor of the Exchequer - James Callaghan - Devaluation - 1970 - Budget

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Jenkins was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party in July 1970, but resigned in 1972 over the party's European policy; his position had been undermined the previous year by his decision to lead sixty-nine Labour MPs through the division lobby in support of the Heath's government's motion to take Britain in to the (then) EEC.

Related Topics:
1970 - 1972 - Division lobby - EEC

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When Labour returned to power he was made Home Secretary again, serving from 1974 to 1976. In this period he undermined his previous liberal credentials to some extent by pushing through the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act, which, among other things, extended the length of time suspects could be held in custody and instituted exclusion orders.

Related Topics:
1974 - 1976 - Prevention of Terrorism Act

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