Cyril Townsend
Encyclopedia
Sir Cyril David Townsend (born 21 December 1937) is a British
politician.
Following service around the world in the British Army
, Townsend was elected Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Bexleyheath
at the February 1974 election
, and held the seat until retiring at the 1997 election
. He introduced the private member's bill
that became the Protection of Children Act 1978
.
Townsend defected to the Liberal Democrats in summer 2005 but only publicly announced this on 28 January 2006 in support of Sir Ming Campbell
's leadership campaign.
Townsend is a former Director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding. He was knighted
in the New Year Honours 1997
.
He currently resides in the West Country and is a respected journalist for several newspapers in the Middle East, including Al-Hayat.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician.
Following service around the world in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Townsend was elected Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bexleyheath was a parliamentary constituency in south-east London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
at the February 1974 election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, and held the seat until retiring at the 1997 election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. He introduced the private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
that became the Protection of Children Act 1978
Protection of Children Act 1978
The Protection of Children Act 1978 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The Protection of Children Bill was put before Parliament as a Private Member's Bill by Cyril Townsend in the 1977-1978 session of Parliament....
.
Townsend defected to the Liberal Democrats in summer 2005 but only publicly announced this on 28 January 2006 in support of Sir Ming Campbell
Menzies Campbell
Sir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...
's leadership campaign.
Townsend is a former Director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding. He was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the New Year Honours 1997
New Year Honours 1997
The New Year Honours 1997 for the United Kingdom and Hong Kong were announced on 31 December 1996, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1997....
.
He currently resides in the West Country and is a respected journalist for several newspapers in the Middle East, including Al-Hayat.