John Stonehouse
Encyclopedia
John Thomson Stonehouse (28 July 192514 April 1988) was a British politician
and minister under Harold Wilson
. Stonehouse is perhaps best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death in 1974. Stonehouse is the only acting UK government minister to have been known to have been a spy for the Soviet bloc.
upbringing and joined the Labour Party
at the age of 16. He was educated at Taunton's College
, Southampton
, and the London School of Economics
. His mother was the sixth female mayor of Southampton and councillor on Southampton City Council. Stonehouse married Barbara Smith in 1948, and they had three children. An economist
, he became involved in co-operative enterprise and was a manager of African co-operative societies in Uganda
1952–54. He served as a director (1956–62) and president (1962–64) of the London Co-operative Society
.
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Wednesbury
in a 1957 by-election, having contested Twickenham
in 1950 and Burton
in 1951.
He served as a junior minister of aviation. At the ministry, he was involved in BOAC
's order of Boeing 707
aircraft, against his own recommendation that they should invest in a rival aircraft, the Super VC-10. This led to his throwing accusations at colleagues about the reasons for the decision. Then in the Colonial Office
, Stonehouse's rise continued, and in 1967 he became Minister for Technology and as Postmaster General
under Wilson until the post was abolished by the Post Office
Act 1969.
As Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in 1970, he oversaw the controversial jamming
of the offshore radio
station Radio North Sea International
. When Labour was defeated in the 1970 General Election
, he was not appointed to the Shadow Cabinet
.
When the Wednesbury constituency was abolished in 1974, he stood for and was elected to the nearby Walsall North constituency. Appointed to the new government, Stonehouse oversaw the introduction of first and second class stamps.
In 1969 Stonehouse was subjected to the assertion that he was a Czech secret service
agent. He successfully defended himself, but the allegation was substantiated in the official history of MI5
, The Defence of the Realm
by Cambridge historian Christopher Andrew. In December 2010 it was revealed that then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
had agreed in 1980 to cover up revelations that Stonehouse had been a Czech spy since the 1960s as there was insufficient evidence to bring him to trial.
on 20 November 1974, leaving a pile of clothes on a Miami beach. He was presumed dead, and obituaries were published despite the fact that no body had been found. In reality, he was en route to Australia
, hoping to set up a new life with his mistress and secretary, Sheila Buckley.
Using false names, Stonehouse set about transferring large sums of money between banks as a further means of covering his tracks. Under the name of Clive Mildoon he deposited $21,500 in cash at the Bank of New Zealand. The teller who handled the money later spotted "Mildoon" at the Bank of New South Wales. Inquiries led the teller to learn that the money was in the name of Joe Markham and he informed the local police. Stonehouse spent a while in Copenhagen
with Sheila Buckley, but later returned to Australia, unaware that he was now under surveillance. The police suspected him of being the fugitive Lord Lucan
who, two weeks before Stonehouse faked his death, had disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett. Investigators noted that the suspect was reading British newspapers which also included stories attacking the "recently deceased" John Stonehouse. They contacted Scotland Yard
, requesting pictures of both Lucan and Stonehouse.
Stonehouse was arrested on Christmas Eve
1974. Due to the possibility that they might be arresting Lord Lucan, who had a six-inch scar on his inside right thigh, the police instructed him to pull down his trousers so they could be sure which of the men they were arresting. He applied for the position of Bailiff and Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds
while still in Australia (one of the ways for an MP to resign
), but decided not to sign the papers.
Six months after he was discovered, he was deported to the UK, though he had tried to obtain offers of asylum
from Sweden
or Mauritius
.
He returned in June 1975, and was remanded in Brixton Prison until August. He continued to act as an MP. Although unhappy with the situation, the Labour Party did not expel him. On 7 April 1976, three weeks before his trial, he resigned the Labour whip, making them a minority government
. A few days later he joined the English National Party
.
Wormwood Scrubs
where he complained that the prison workshop, where he was employed, played pop-music radio stations.
He finally agreed to resign as an MP on 28 August and also as a Privy Counsellor
(becoming one of only three people to resign from the Privy Council in the 20th century). The subsequent by-election
was won by Robin Hodgson
, a Conservative
.
After his conviction, Stonehouse's wife divorced him in 1978.
Whilst in prison, his health deteriorated. He was later moved to Blundeston Prison
. Stonehouse was released early from prison in August 1979 because he had suffered three heart attack
s and had undergone open heart surgery
in November 1978.
, which later merged with the Liberal Party
to become the Liberal Democrats
.
Stonehouse married his mistress Sheila Buckley in Hampshire on 31 January 1981 and shortly afterwards their son was born. Stonehouse wrote three novels, and made several TV appearances, mostly in connection with discussing his disappearance. A month before his death, he abruptly collapsed on set during a TV show, but recovered. This was only temporary and Stonehouse died in Southampton
, aged 62, on the evening of 14 April 1988 from a fourth heart attack. A fourth novel he was working on at the time of his death was published posthumously, in 1989.
|-
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and minister under Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
. Stonehouse is perhaps best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death in 1974. Stonehouse is the only acting UK government minister to have been known to have been a spy for the Soviet bloc.
Education and early career
Stonehouse had a Trade UnionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
upbringing and joined the 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...
at the age of 16. He was educated at Taunton's College
Taunton's College
Taunton's College is a sixth form college in Upper Shirley, Southampton attended by approximately 1340 students.-Admissions:It offers a range of courses, mostly A Levels and more notably the International Baccalaureate...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, and the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. His mother was the sixth female mayor of Southampton and councillor on Southampton City Council. Stonehouse married Barbara Smith in 1948, and they had three children. An economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, he became involved in co-operative enterprise and was a manager of African co-operative societies in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
1952–54. He served as a director (1956–62) and president (1962–64) of the London Co-operative Society
London Co-operative Society
The London Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative society in the United Kingdom.The Society was formed in September 1920 by the amalgamation of the Stratford Co-operative Society and the Edmonton Co-operative Society, two of the largest societies in the London Metropolitan area...
.
Political career
Stonehouse was first elected as Labour Co-operativeLabour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
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 Wednesbury
Wednesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Wednesbury was a borough constituency in England's Black Country which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election....
in a 1957 by-election, having contested Twickenham
Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Twickenham 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 1950 and Burton
Burton (UK Parliament constituency)
Burton is a county 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 1951.
He served as a junior minister of aviation. At the ministry, he was involved in BOAC
Boac
Boac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
's order of Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
aircraft, against his own recommendation that they should invest in a rival aircraft, the Super VC-10. This led to his throwing accusations at colleagues about the reasons for the decision. Then in the Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
, Stonehouse's rise continued, and in 1967 he became Minister for Technology and as Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
under Wilson until the post was abolished by the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
Act 1969.
As Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in 1970, he oversaw the controversial jamming
Radio jamming
Radio jamming is the transmission of radio signals that disrupt communications by decreasing the signal to noise ratio. Unintentional jamming occurs when an operator transmits on a busy frequency without first checking whether it is in use, or without being able to hear stations using the frequency...
of the offshore radio
Offshore radio
Offshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures, usually in international waters. The claimed first wireless broadcast of music and speech for the purpose of entertainment was transmitted from a Royal Naval craft, the HMS Andromeda, in 1907...
station Radio North Sea International
Radio North Sea International
Radio North Sea International also known as Radio Nordsee International in German and Radio Noordzee Internationaal in Dutch, was a European offshore radio station, run by the Swiss firm Mebo Telecommunications, jointly owned by Swiss engineer, Edwin Bollier, and his business partner, Erwin Meister...
. When Labour was defeated in the 1970 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, he was not appointed to the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
.
When the Wednesbury constituency was abolished in 1974, he stood for and was elected to the nearby Walsall North constituency. Appointed to the new government, Stonehouse oversaw the introduction of first and second class stamps.
In 1969 Stonehouse was subjected to the assertion that he was a Czech secret service
STB
STB is an acronym that can mean:* Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus – Bachelor of Sacred Theology* Set-top box – a television device that converts signals to viewable images* Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP -- a law firm...
agent. He successfully defended himself, but the allegation was substantiated in the official history of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
, The Defence of the Realm
The Defence of the Realm
The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5, published in the United States as Defend the Realm, is an authorised history of the British Security Service , written by historian Christopher Andrew...
by Cambridge historian Christopher Andrew. In December 2010 it was revealed that then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
had agreed in 1980 to cover up revelations that Stonehouse had been a Czech spy since the 1960s as there was insufficient evidence to bring him to trial.
Business interests
After 1970, Stonehouse set up various companies in an attempt to secure a regular income. By 1974 most of these were in financial trouble, and he had resorted to cooking the books. Aware that the Department of Trade and Industry was looking at his affairs, he decided that his best choice would be to flee. Secret British government documents, declassified in 2005, indicate that Stonehouse spent months rehearsing his new identity, that of Joseph Markham — the deceased husband of a constituent.Faking his own death
Stonehouse maintained the pretence of normality until he faked his suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on 20 November 1974, leaving a pile of clothes on a Miami beach. He was presumed dead, and obituaries were published despite the fact that no body had been found. In reality, he was en route to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, hoping to set up a new life with his mistress and secretary, Sheila Buckley.
Using false names, Stonehouse set about transferring large sums of money between banks as a further means of covering his tracks. Under the name of Clive Mildoon he deposited $21,500 in cash at the Bank of New Zealand. The teller who handled the money later spotted "Mildoon" at the Bank of New South Wales. Inquiries led the teller to learn that the money was in the name of Joe Markham and he informed the local police. Stonehouse spent a while in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
with Sheila Buckley, but later returned to Australia, unaware that he was now under surveillance. The police suspected him of being the fugitive Lord Lucan
Richard Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan , popularly known as Lord Lucan, as Lord Bingham before 1964, and sometimes colloquially called "Lucky" Lucan, was a British peer, who disappeared in the early hours of 8 November 1974, following the murder of Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny, the previous...
who, two weeks before Stonehouse faked his death, had disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett. Investigators noted that the suspect was reading British newspapers which also included stories attacking the "recently deceased" John Stonehouse. They contacted Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
, requesting pictures of both Lucan and Stonehouse.
Stonehouse was arrested on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
1974. Due to the possibility that they might be arresting Lord Lucan, who had a six-inch scar on his inside right thigh, the police instructed him to pull down his trousers so they could be sure which of the men they were arresting. He applied for the position of Bailiff and Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds
Chiltern Hundreds
Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham is a sinecure appointment which is used as a device allowing a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament to resign his or her seat...
while still in Australia (one of the ways for an MP to resign
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
), but decided not to sign the papers.
Six months after he was discovered, he was deported to the UK, though he had tried to obtain offers of asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
or Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
.
He returned in June 1975, and was remanded in Brixton Prison until August. He continued to act as an MP. Although unhappy with the situation, the Labour Party did not expel him. On 7 April 1976, three weeks before his trial, he resigned the Labour whip, making them a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. A few days later he joined the English National Party
English National Party
English National Party has been the name of various political parties of England.-The original ENP:The English National Party was founded as the John Hampden New Freedom Party in the 1960s by Frank Hansford-Miller. In 1974, it renamed itself the "English Nationalist Party"...
.
On trial
The MP's trial, on 21 charges of fraud, theft, forgery, conspiracy to defraud, causing a false police investigation and wasting police time, lasted 68 days. Stonehouse conducted his own defence at the trial. He was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud. He was imprisoned in HM PrisonHer Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
where he complained that the prison workshop, where he was employed, played pop-music radio stations.
He finally agreed to resign as an MP on 28 August and also as a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(becoming one of only three people to resign from the Privy Council in the 20th century). The subsequent by-election
Walsall North by-election, 1976
The Walsall North by-election on 4 November 1976 was held after the resignation of sitting Member of Parliament John Stonehouse. Elected as a Labour candidate, Stonehouse was a member of the English National Party when he resigned, after an interlude in which he faked his own death...
was won by Robin Hodgson
Robin Hodgson, Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts
Robin Granville Hodgson, Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts CBE is a British Conservative Party politician.In both 1974 general elections, Hodgson unsuccessfully contested the strong Labour seat of Walsall North against the incumbent, John Stonehouse...
, a 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...
.
After his conviction, Stonehouse's wife divorced him in 1978.
Whilst in prison, his health deteriorated. He was later moved to Blundeston Prison
Blundeston (HM Prison)
HM Prison Blundeston is a Category C men's prison, located in the Village of Blundeston in Suffolk, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. Stonehouse was released early from prison in August 1979 because he had suffered three heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
s and had undergone open heart surgery
Open Heart Surgery
Open Heart Surgery was released on August 8, 2000 by rock band Virginwool. The band signed to Breaking/Atlantic Records after initially beginning signed to Universal Records. The album was produced and mixed by Brad Wood....
in November 1978.
After prison
After his release, he worked as a volunteer fundraiser for the east London charity, Community Links, for several years. He joined the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
, which later merged with the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
to become the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
.
Stonehouse married his mistress Sheila Buckley in Hampshire on 31 January 1981 and shortly afterwards their son was born. Stonehouse wrote three novels, and made several TV appearances, mostly in connection with discussing his disappearance. A month before his death, he abruptly collapsed on set during a TV show, but recovered. This was only temporary and Stonehouse died in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, aged 62, on the evening of 14 April 1988 from a fourth heart attack. A fourth novel he was working on at the time of his death was published posthumously, in 1989.
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