John David McWilliam
Encyclopedia
John David McWilliam was a British
Labour Party
politician. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Blaydon from 1979 until he stood down at the 2005 general election
.
, he went to Leith Academy
in Leith
, then attended evening classes as a Post Office Telephones Youth in Training at Heriot-Watt Technical College and Napier College of Science and Technology.
McWilliam joined the Labour party in 1966, and prior to his election he worked as a telephone engineer, Technician 2A, for British Telecom
just as the Callaghan
government left office. He served briefly as deputy shadow leader of the House of Commons
, before becoming an opposition whip
. He resigned from this role in 1987 in protest at the sacking of two of his colleagues.
McWilliam served on the Defence Select Committee
for 12 years, between 1987 and 1999.
When Betty Boothroyd
retired as Speaker of the House of Commons, McWilliam was one of the 12 candidates nominated to succeed her. In the election on 23 October 2000
he received 30 votes, the fewest of any candidate.
He stood down at the 2005 general election after 26 years as an MP, and returned to living in Scotland where he died in November 2009.
in 2001.
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...
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. He was 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,...
(MP) for Blaydon from 1979 until he stood down at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
Early life
Born in GrangemouthGrangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
, he went to Leith Academy
Leith Academy
Leith Academy is a state school in Leith, Edinburgh. It currently educates around 1,000 pupils and around 2,800 part time adult learners.The former headteacher, Sandy Mcauley, resigned in 2008; Jack M Simpson was appointed headteacher in September 2008....
in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, then attended evening classes as a Post Office Telephones Youth in Training at Heriot-Watt Technical College and Napier College of Science and Technology.
McWilliam joined the Labour party in 1966, and prior to his election he worked as a telephone engineer, Technician 2A, for British Telecom
Parliamentary career
McWilliam was elected at the 1979 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
just as the Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
government left office. He served briefly as deputy shadow leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
, before becoming an opposition whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. He resigned from this role in 1987 in protest at the sacking of two of his colleagues.
McWilliam served on the Defence Select Committee
Defence Select Committee
The Defence Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the British House of Commons, having been established in 1979. It oversees the operations of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies, including the armed forces.-Membership:...
for 12 years, between 1987 and 1999.
When Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons...
retired as Speaker of the House of Commons, McWilliam was one of the 12 candidates nominated to succeed her. In the election on 23 October 2000
Speaker of the British House of Commons election, 2000
The 2000 election of the Speaker of the British House of Commons occurred on 23 October 2000 after the retirement of Betty Boothroyd as Speaker. The election resulted in the election of Scottish Labour MP Michael Martin...
he received 30 votes, the fewest of any candidate.
He stood down at the 2005 general election after 26 years as an MP, and returned to living in Scotland where he died in November 2009.
Personal life
He married Lesley Mary Catling on 6 February 1965. They had two daughters (Ruth Lesley, born 29 February 1972 and Fiona Alexandra, born 20 June 1974) and divorced in 1992. He married Mary McLoughlin on 31 March 1994. They divorced in 1997. He married Helena Lovegreen in March 1998. His first wife sued him successfully for constructive dismissalConstructive dismissal
In employment law, constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge, occurs when employees resign because their employer's behaviour has become so intolerable or heinous or made life so difficult that the employee has no choice but to resign. Because the resignation was not truly...
in 2001.