John Townend
Encyclopedia
John Ernest Townend is a United Kingdom
politician. Educated at Hymers College
in Hull, he served in the Royal Air Force
as a Pilot Officer from 1957–59 and then worked as an accountant. He was managing director (now chairman) of House of Townend wine merchants in Hull, and was active in local government. He served as a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
from 1979 until his retirement in 2001.
Townend was renowned for his controversial views on race and immigration, which got him into trouble from time to time. In 1984 he suggested that foreigners employed in industries should be replaced by unemployed Britons, and in 2001, shortly before his retirement as an MP, he became engulfed in a row within the Tory Party when, referring to a statement by Robin Cook that there was no such thing as a British race, he said that his constituents in Bridlington would not agree, and asked whether Robin Cook therefore thought instead that the British were a "mongrel race". He was chairman of the right-wing 92 Group
.
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. Educated at Hymers College
Hymers College
Hymers College is a co-educational independent school located on the site of the old Botanic Gardens of Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1893 as a boys' school, but expanded to include girls from the 1970s onwards.-History:...
in Hull, he served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a Pilot Officer from 1957–59 and then worked as an accountant. He was managing director (now chairman) of House of Townend wine merchants in Hull, and was active in local government. He served as a Conservative Party
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,...
from 1979 until his retirement in 2001.
Townend was renowned for his controversial views on race and immigration, which got him into trouble from time to time. In 1984 he suggested that foreigners employed in industries should be replaced by unemployed Britons, and in 2001, shortly before his retirement as an MP, he became engulfed in a row within the Tory Party when, referring to a statement by Robin Cook that there was no such thing as a British race, he said that his constituents in Bridlington would not agree, and asked whether Robin Cook therefore thought instead that the British were a "mongrel race". He was chairman of the right-wing 92 Group
92 Group
The 92 Group is a right-wing grouping within the British Conservative Party. They are so named because they used to meet at Conservative MP Sir Patrick Wall's home, 92 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea....
.