Tony Benn

The Right Honourable Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (born April 3, 1925), known as Tony Benn, formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, is a British politician regarded as being on the left of the Labour Party. He was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963.

Political career

Following his World War II service in the Royal Air Force, Benn worked briefly as a BBC Radio producer. He was unexpectedly selected to follow Stafford Cripps as Labour candidate for Bristol South East in 1950, and won the seat in a byelection that November after Cripps stood down for ill health.

Related Topics:
World War II - Royal Air Force - Stafford Cripps - 1950

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Peerage Reform

Benn's father had been created Viscount Stansgate in 1942 when Winston Churchill offered to increase the number of Labour Peers; at this time Benn's older brother Michael was intending to enter the priesthood and had no objections to inheriting a peerage. However Michael was later killed on active service in the Second World War, and this left Benn as the heir to a peerage. He made several attempts to remove himself from the line of succession but they were all unsuccessful.

Related Topics:
Viscount Stansgate - 1942 - Winston Churchill - Peerage

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In November 1960 Benn's father died and as a result he was prevented from sitting in the House of Commons. Still insisting on his right to abandon his unwelcome peerage, Benn fought to retain his seat in the by-election caused by his succession. Despite being disqualified from taking his seat, the people of Bristol South-East re-elected him. An election court found that the voters were fully aware that Benn was disqualified, and gave the seat to the Conservative runner up in the by-election, Malcolm St Clair.

Related Topics:
1960 - House of Commons - By-election - Conservative

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Outside Parliament Benn continued his campaign, and eventually the Conservative government accepted the need for a change in the law. The Peerage Act 1963, allowing renunciation of peerages, was given the Royal Assent and became law shortly after 6 pm on July 31, 1963, and Benn was the first peer to renounce his title, at 6.22 pm that day. St. Clair had already given an undertaking that he would respect the wishes of the people of Bristol if Benn became eligible to take his seat again, and therefore took the Chiltern Hundreds immediately, and Benn returned to the Commons after winning a by-election on August 20.

Related Topics:
Peerage Act 1963 - Royal Assent - July 31 - 1963 - Chiltern Hundreds - August 20

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In Government

In the 1960s government of Harold Wilson he became Postmaster General; during his time in that position he oversaw the opening of the Post Office Tower, the creation of the Postal Bus Service and the introduction of the UK's first commemorative postage stamps to be designed by David Gentleman. He proposed issuing stamps without the Sovereign's head, but this was vetoed by the Queen. He later became Minister of Technology, a post which allowed his enthusiasm for gadgets to shine through, including responsibility for overseeing the development of Concorde.

Related Topics:
1960s - Harold Wilson - Postmaster General - Post Office Tower - David Gentleman - Queen - Concorde

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In the Labour government of 1974 he became Secretary of State for Industry, but in 1975 he was moved to Secretary of State for Energy, following his unsuccessful campaign for a "No" vote in the referendum on Britain's membership of the (then) European Economic Community. By the end of the 1970s he had become firmly identified with the left-wing of the Labour Party. He publicly supported Sinn Féin and the reunification of Ireland, although he has recently suggested to Sinn Féin leaders that Sinn Féin abandon its long-standing policy of not taking seats at Westminster. Sinn Féin argue that to do so would recognize Britain's claim over Northern Ireland and the Sinn Féin constitution prevents its elected members from taking their seats in any British-created institution.

Related Topics:
1974 - Secretary of State for Industry - 1975 - Secretary of State for Energy - European Economic Community - Sinn Féin - Northern Ireland

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In Opposition

In 1981 he stood for election against the incumbent Denis Healey as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, disregarding the appeal from party leader Michael Foot either to stand for the leadership or to abstain from inflaming the party's divisions. Benn defended his decision with an insistence that it was not about personalities but about policies. The contest was closely fought and Healey emerged victorious by a margin of barely 1%. The decision of several moderate left wing MPs, including Neil Kinnock, to abstain from supporting Benn triggered the split of the Campaign Group from the left of the Tribune Group.

Related Topics:
1981 - Denis Healey - Michael Foot - Neil Kinnock - Campaign Group - Tribune Group

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Benn's Bristol South-East constituency was abolished by boundary changes in 1983, and he lost the selection battle to stand in the safe seat of Bristol South to Michael Cocks. Rejecting offers from the new seat of Livingston in Scotland, Benn fought and was defeated in Bristol East by Conservative candidate Jonathan Sayeed. As the darling of Labour activists it was not surprising that he was selected for the first Labour seat to fall vacant, and he was elected as MP for Chesterfield in a by-election the following year when Eric Varley resigned his seat to head Coalite.

Related Topics:
1983 - Bristol South - Livingston - Bristol East - Conservative - Jonathan Sayeed - Chesterfield - Eric Varley

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His support for the 1984-1985 miners' strike resulted in much hostility from the conservative press. He stood for election as Party Leader in 1988 and was defeated again. In the first Gulf War he was active in the anti-war movement and visited Baghdad (after Ted Heath) to persuade Saddam Hussein to release the hostages which had been captured.

Related Topics:
The 1984-1985 miners' strike - 1988 - Gulf War - Ted Heath - Saddam Hussein

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