Iain Sproat

Iain MacDonald Sproat (8 November 1938 – 29 September 2011)[1] was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP).[2] He was educated at Winchester College and Magdalen College, Oxford. He worked as a publisher and journalist.

Iain Sproat
Minister for Sport
In office
27 May 1993 – 1 May 1997
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byRobert Key
Succeeded byTony Banks
Member of Parliament
for Harwich
In office
9 April 1992 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byJulian Ridsdale
Succeeded byIvan Henderson
Member of Parliament
for Aberdeen South
In office
18 June 1970 – 13 May 1983
Preceded byDonald Dewar
Succeeded byGerry Malone
Personal details
Born8 November 1938
Died29 September 2011 (aged 72)
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Judith Mary Kernot (1979–2011)

Parliamentary career

Sproat first contested Rutherglen in a by-election in May 1964, and again in the general election later that year, but was unsuccessful in both campaigns.

At the 1970 general election, he stood in the marginal Scottish constituency of Aberdeen South, and ousted the sitting Labour MP, Donald Dewar.[2][3] He was re-elected there at three further elections, until the 1983 general election when he moved to contest Roxburgh and Berwickshire believing that this was a 'safer' seat. However, Aberdeen South was held by the Conservatives,[4] while Roxburgh and Berwickshire fell to the Liberal candidate Archy Kirkwood.[5]

Sproat returned to Parliament nine years later, moving to England and succeeding Sir Julian Ridsdale as MP for Harwich in the 1992 general election.[6][7] He served as Minister for Sport in John Major's government from 1993 to 1997, but at the 1997 general election he was defeated by the Labour candidate Ivan Henderson.[8] Sproat stood again in Harwich at the 2001 election, but Henderson was returned with an increased majority.[8] Sproat did not contest the 2005 general election; instead Douglas Carswell regained the seat for the Conservatives.

Outside Parliament

A lifelong cricket fan, he was founder publisher of the Cricketers' Who's Who (Green Umbrella) which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009. In 1979 he married Judith Mary Kernot, who survived him.

A tireless campaigner to clear the name of his literary hero, P.G. Wodehouse, he secured Wodehouse's knighthood in 1975 and later wrote 'Wodehouse at War' (pub Milner & Co. Ltd. 1981) claiming the author's innocence regarding charges that he acted as a propagandist for Nazi Germany during World War II.

References
  1. "Daily Telegraph Obituary - Iain Sproat". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  2. "Historical list of MPs: constituencies beginning with "A", part 1". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  3. "UK General Election results 1970, part 1". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  4. "UK General Election results 1983, part 1". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  5. "UK General Election results 1983, part 17". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  6. "UK General Election results 1992, part 10". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  7. "Historical list of MPs: constituencies beginning with "H", part 1". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  8. "UK General Election results 1997 and 2001, Harwich". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Donald Dewar		 Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South
1970–1983		 Succeeded by
Gerry Malone
Preceded by
Sir Julian Ridsdale		 Member of Parliament for Harwich
1992–1997		 Succeeded by
Ivan Henderson
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert Key		 Minister for Sport
1993–1997		 Succeeded by
Tony Banks
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