Nigel Spearing

Nigel John Spearing (8 October 1930 – 8 January 2017) was a British Labour Party politician.[1]

Nigel John Spearing
Member of Parliament
for Newham South
In office
23 May 1974  8 April 1997
Preceded byElwyn Jones
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Member of Parliament
for Acton
In office
18 June 1970  8 February 1974
Preceded byKenneth Baker
Succeeded bySir George Young, Bt
Personal details
Born(1930-10-08)8 October 1930
Hammersmith, United Kingdom
Died8 January 2017(2017-01-08) (aged 86)
Political partyLabour
Alma materSt Catharine's College, Cambridge

Nigel Spearing was born in Hammersmith, London, and educated at Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. After graduating in 1956, he worked as a tutor and teacher, firstly at Wandsworth School (1956–68) and then at Elliott School, Putney, (1969–70). After coming second in Warwick and Leamington in 1964, Spearing was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Acton at the 1970 general election, regaining a seat which the Labour Party had lost to the Conservative Kenneth Baker in a 1968 by-election. Spearing turned Baker's by-election majority of 3,720 into a Labour majority of 660.[2] Prior to the February 1974 general election, the Acton constituency underwent major boundary changes and he was defeated in his bid for re-election by the Conservative Party candidate George Young by 1,451 votes.[3]

Spearing then returned to parliament a few weeks later after winning the Newham South by-election (caused by the constituency's MP, Elwyn Jones, being made a life peer in order to take on the role of Lord Chancellor) with a majority of 9,321. This was the only by-election held in the February–October 1974 Parliament. Spearing was then re-elected at the October 1974 general election, and held the Newham South seat until 1997, when the seat was abolished. Spearing and another sitting Labour MP both applied for the newly created seat of Poplar and Canning Town, but both were passed over in favour of Jim Fitzpatrick.

Spearing was opposed to British membership of the European Economic Community.[4] Although he was interested in many issues, including transport, he devoted much of his time to campaigning against the EEC/EU, not least because he believed that 'many of the most pressing domestic political issues of the day could also be firmly connected with European Union institutions and directives.' [5]

References

  1. Ranson, Jacob. "Tributes paid to former Newham MP Nigel Spearing". newhamrecorder.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  2. The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1970. London: Times Newspapers Limited. 1970. p. 36.
  3. The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1974. London: Times Newspapers Limited. 1974. p. 108. ISBN 0-7230-0115-4.
  4. "HC Stmnt: [Brussels European Council] - Margaret Thatcher Foundation". margaretthatcher.org. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  5. Campaigning for an Independent Britain: The Papers of Nigel Spearing MP, Churchill College, Cambridge: https://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/news/2018/aug/30/campaigning-independent-britain-papers-nigel-spear/. Retrieved 20 August 2019.

Sources

  • Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1992 and 1997 editions.

Personal Papers

Spearing's personal papers are held in the Archives of the Institute of Education.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Kenneth Baker
Member of Parliament for Acton
1970Feb 1974
Succeeded by
Sir George Young, Bt
Preceded by
Elwyn Jones
Member of Parliament for Newham South
19741997
Succeeded by
(constituency abolished)


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