Malcolm St. Clair (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Archibald James St. Clair (16 February 1927 – 1 February 2004) was a British
Conservative Party
politician.
He was the son of Major-General G.P. St Clair CB CBE DSO, and was educated at Eton College
.
After leaving school, St. Clair joined the Royal Armoured Corps
as a trooper, and in 1946 he was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Scots Greys. He left the Army in 1948 and served as honorary secretary to Winston Churchill
from 1948 to 1950, before returning to run his family's dairy farm at Tetbury
in Gloucestershire
.
In June 1955, St Clair was married to Rosalie Alice, daughter of Wing-Commander C.L. Hargreaves. The same year, St. Clair stood unsuccessfully as a Conservative candidate at the London County Council
elections, in Islington
East. At the 1959 general election
, he stood as Conservative candidate in the Bristol South East
, but lost to the sitting Labour Member of Parliament
MP Tony Benn
, whose majority was nearly 6,000 votes.
However, Benn's father died in November 1960, and Benn inherited his peerage as Viscount Stansgate
, with its automatic seat in the House of Lords
. This disqualified Benn from the House of Commons
, triggering a by-election
on 4 May 1961. Benn and St Clair were the only two candidates, and Benn was elected with a majority of over 13,000, winning nearly 70% of the votes. However, an Election Court
overturned the result on the grounds that Benn was disqualified. St. Clair's campaign proved that they had displayed posters near every polling station warning voters that Benn was disqualified and that any votes for him would be thrown away, and so the court awarded the seat to St. Clair without ordering another election.
Outside Parliament Benn continued to campaign for a change in the law to allow him to continue as an MP, and eventually the Conservative government agreed. The Peerage Act 1963
, allowing the disclaming of peerages, was given the Royal Assent and became law shortly after 6 p.m. on 31 July 1963. Benn was the first peer to disclaim his title, at 6.22 p.m. that day. St. Clair had already given an undertaking that he would respect the wishes of the people of Bristol if Benn became eligible to take his seat again, and therefore immediately "took the Chiltern Hundreds
" by applying for the position of Steward of the Manor of Northstead
, causing another by-election. St. Clair did not stand, and on 20 August 1963 Benn won the by-election with over 75% of the votes.
Malcolm St Clair lived at Upton House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. He served in the Territorial Army as a Major in the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
, and as Lieutenant-Colonel from 1967 to 1969. He was High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
in 1972. His London house was at 28 Chesham Place, and as a former officer in the Scots Greys he was a member of the Cavalry Club
.
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...
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...
politician.
He was the son of Major-General G.P. St Clair CB CBE DSO, and was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
After leaving school, St. Clair joined the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
as a trooper, and in 1946 he was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Scots Greys. He left the Army in 1948 and served as honorary secretary to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
from 1948 to 1950, before returning to run his family's dairy farm at Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
In June 1955, St Clair was married to Rosalie Alice, daughter of Wing-Commander C.L. Hargreaves. The same year, St. Clair stood unsuccessfully as a Conservative candidate at the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
elections, in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
East. At the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, he stood as Conservative candidate in the Bristol South East
Bristol South East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol South East was a borough constituency in the city of Bristol. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election....
, but lost to the sitting Labour 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 Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, whose majority was nearly 6,000 votes.
However, Benn's father died in November 1960, and Benn inherited his peerage as Viscount Stansgate
Viscount Stansgate
Viscount Stansgate, of Stansgate in the County of Essex, is a currently disclaimed title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1942 for the Labour politician and former Secretary of State for India and Secretary of State for Air, William Wedgwood Benn. He was the second son of Sir...
, with its automatic seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. This disqualified Benn from the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, triggering a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on 4 May 1961. Benn and St Clair were the only two candidates, and Benn was elected with a majority of over 13,000, winning nearly 70% of the votes. However, an Election Court
Election court
An Election Court is, in United Kingdom election law, a special court convened to hear a petition against the result of a local government or Parliamentary election. The court is created to hear the individual case, and ceases to exist when it has made its decision.- Statutory basis :Election...
overturned the result on the grounds that Benn was disqualified. St. Clair's campaign proved that they had displayed posters near every polling station warning voters that Benn was disqualified and that any votes for him would be thrown away, and so the court awarded the seat to St. Clair without ordering another election.
Outside Parliament Benn continued to campaign for a change in the law to allow him to continue as an MP, and eventually the Conservative government agreed. The Peerage Act 1963
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
, allowing the disclaming of peerages, was given the Royal Assent and became law shortly after 6 p.m. on 31 July 1963. Benn was the first peer to disclaim his title, at 6.22 p.m. that day. St. Clair had already given an undertaking that he would respect the wishes of the people of Bristol if Benn became eligible to take his seat again, and therefore immediately "took the Chiltern Hundreds
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...
" by applying for the position of Steward of the Manor of Northstead
Manor of Northstead
The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600, the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. At present the Manor is part of the Barrowcliff area of the town of...
, causing another by-election. St. Clair did not stand, and on 20 August 1963 Benn won the by-election with over 75% of the votes.
Malcolm St Clair lived at Upton House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. He served in the Territorial Army as a Major in the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a unit of the British Army.Raised in 1795 following William Pitt's 1794 order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain, through various re-organisations, the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars remain today on the establishment of the Territorial...
, and as Lieutenant-Colonel from 1967 to 1969. He was High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in 1972. His London house was at 28 Chesham Place, and as a former officer in the Scots Greys he was a member of the Cavalry Club
Cavalry Club
The Cavalry Club was a London gentlemen's club, which was established in 1890. In 1975, it merged with the Guards' Club, and became the Cavalry and Guards Club, which still exists today....
.