Jamie Cann
Encyclopedia
Jamie Charles Cann was a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Leader of Ipswich Borough Council from 1979 to 1991, before becoming the Member of Parliament
for (MP) Ipswich
in 1992
, a seat he held until his death in 2001.
He married Rosemary Lovitt in 1970. They had two sons.
Renowned as an MP with acerbic wit, he spent most of his time campaigning in the constituency. As leader of Ipswich Borough Council, he was noted as a reformer and helped make Ipswich a model local authority. Many local campaigns were fronted by Cann including the successful Whitefriars development, saving the Wolsey Theatre
and town centre supermarket whilst keeping Ipswich as one of the best providers and maintainers of local authority housing in Britain.
He died in office in October 2001, of liver disease, after a spell in hospital in Cambridge. The subsequent by-election for his
seat was held on 22 November and won by the Labour candidate Chris Mole
. A retirement home on the Ravenswood
development in Ipswich
was named after him following his death, in his honour.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, who was the Leader of Ipswich Borough Council from 1979 to 1991, before becoming the 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 (MP) Ipswich
Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)
Ipswich is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, a seat he held until his death in 2001.
Early and family life
He was educated at Barton on Humber Grammar School and Kesteven College of Education. He then became a primary school teacher, serving as deputy headmaster of Handford Hall Primary School in Ipswich from 1981 to 1992.He married Rosemary Lovitt in 1970. They had two sons.
Political career
Politically he was a Homosceptic, and voted against equalising the age of consent for same-sex relations. In 1998 he was fined £1,000, and disqualified from driving for 18 months for drink-driving.Renowned as an MP with acerbic wit, he spent most of his time campaigning in the constituency. As leader of Ipswich Borough Council, he was noted as a reformer and helped make Ipswich a model local authority. Many local campaigns were fronted by Cann including the successful Whitefriars development, saving the Wolsey Theatre
New Wolsey Theatre
A 400-seat theatre in the heart of Ipswich, Suffolk's county town, The was established in 2000, building on the foundations of the regional repertory company that had opened the theatre in the late 1970s....
and town centre supermarket whilst keeping Ipswich as one of the best providers and maintainers of local authority housing in Britain.
He died in office in October 2001, of liver disease, after a spell in hospital in Cambridge. The subsequent by-election for his
Ipswich by-election, 2001
The member of Parliament for Ipswich in Suffolk, Jamie Cann, of the Labour Party died on 15 October 2001.The by-election to fill his seat was held on 22 November that year, and was the first of six by-elections which took place during the 2001-2005 parliament....
seat was held on 22 November and won by the Labour candidate Chris Mole
Chris Mole
Christopher David "Chris" Mole is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Ipswich from a by-election in 2001, after the death of Jamie Cann, and was re-elected in 2005...
. A retirement home on the Ravenswood
Ravenswood, Ipswich
Ravenswood is a district within Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. It is sited on the old Ipswich Airport to the south-east of the town.The area is one experiencing rapid growth in housing numbers from private housing developers...
development in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
was named after him following his death, in his honour.