Albert Edward Booth (28 May 1928 – 6 February 2010)[1] was a British left-wing[2] Labour Party politician and cabinet minister.
Albert Booth | |
|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Transport | |
| In office 14 July 1979 – 9 June 1983 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan Michael Foot |
| Preceded by | Norman Fowler |
| Succeeded by | John Prescott |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 14 July 1979 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | James Prior |
| Succeeded by | Eric Varley |
| Secretary of State for Employment | |
| In office 8 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Michael Foot |
| Succeeded by | James Prior |
| Minister of State for Employment | |
| In office 5 March 1974 – 8 April 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Robin Chichester-Clark |
| Succeeded by | Harold Walker |
| Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness | |
| In office 31 March 1966 – 13 May 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Monslow |
| Succeeded by | Cecil Franks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 May 1928 Acomb, England |
| Died | 6 February 2010 (aged 81) London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Northumbria University |
Early life
editBooth was born in Acomb, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 1928.[3] He was raised in Hampshire and South Shields, and educated at Marine School, South Shields, and Rutherford College of Technology (now Northumbria University).[3] He was a design draughtsman. He served as a councillor on Tynemouth Council 1962–65.
Parliamentary career
editBooth contested Tynemouth in 1964.[3] He was Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness from 1966 to 1983, and was Secretary of State for Employment from 1976 to 1979 serving under James Callaghan.[3] He also acted as the Labour Party's national Treasurer between 1983 and 1984.
After boundary changes, his seat was renamed Barrow and Furness, for the 1983 General Election but despite a 1979 majority of 7,741 he lost it to the Conservative Cecil Franks. This has often been attributed to Labour's unilateralist policy of nuclear disarmament, and Booth himself identified with that, leading a CND march through his constituency. However, his constituents were reliant on the defence industries, particularly shipbuilding, and this led to one of Labour's most unexpected defeats of the election.[2][4] However, a campaign against him centred in a local Catholic church, highlighting his record of voting in favour of women's right to choose to have an abortion, was also a significant factor.[citation needed] (Booth was a lay preacher in the Methodist Church.)[1]
Later career
editBooth made it through to the final round in the Labour selection for Sunderland South ahead of the 1987 election, but lost out by four votes to Chris Mullin.[5] He unsuccessfully contested Warrington South in 1987.[3]
Personal life and death
editIn 1957, Booth married Joan Atkinson (née Amis); they had three sons and were married until her death in 2008.[3]
Booth died at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Locksbottom, London, on 6 February 2010, at the age of 81; his health had been in decline due to a series of illnesses, including prostate cancer.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Former Barrow MP Albert Booth dies at 81 – tributes". North-West Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
- ^ a b Julia Langdon (10 February 2010). "Albert Booth obituary | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Howell, David (2014). "Booth, Albert Edward (1928–2010), politician". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/102534. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Albert Booth". The Daily Telegraph. 15 February 2010.
- ^ Chris Mullin (2016). Hinterland (Page 10). ISBN 978-1781256060.
- Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966 & 1983
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
External links
edit- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Albert Booth
- Albert Booth – Daily Telegraph obituary
- Albert Booth 1928–2010: an "Old Labour" man – Workers' Liberty obituary by his niece, Janine Booth
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