Peter Snape, Baron Snape
Encyclopedia
Peter Charles Snape, Baron Snape (born 12 February 1942) is a Labour Party
politician in the United Kingdom
. He served as Member of Parliament
(MP) for West Bromwich East until he stood down in the 2001 election
. He is the current Chairman of his hometown football club, Stockport County, as well as a major shareholder in the club.
He once lived at Greenwood Gardens, Bredbury
and was a railwayman and Bredbury and Romiley
Urban District
councillor representing Bredbury South ward. He was elected as Labour
Member of Parliament
for West Bromwich East in 1974, after which he moved to live in Buglawton
. He retained links with the Bredbury area, serving for a time as a director of Stockport County football club, which he is now once again as of 2010. He held a number of government posts.
He was the member who formally proposed Michael Martin
to be the new Speaker
in 2000. He stood down in the 2001 election
and was made a life peer
as Baron Snape, of Wednesbury in the County of West Midlands
in 2004.
During the 1992 General Election campaign
, Conservative
MP Edwina Currie
poured a glass of orange juice
over Snape shortly after an edition of the Midlands
-based debate show Central Weekend
had finished airing. Speaking about the incident later, Currie said "I just looked at my orange juice, and looked at this man from which this stream of abuse was emanating, and thought 'I know how to shut you up.' " Snape subsequently won £15,000 after Currie "falsely suggested in her memoirs that it happened after Snape had been 'drinking vodka in a club with cronies'."
that were favourable to 'big business' in exchange for a cash retainer. Two Sunday Times reporters posing as lobbyists for a foreign company looking to set up a chain of shops in the UK, had approached several peers to see if they could be bribed to help the company obtain an exemption from the Business Rates Supplements Bill. Snape reportedly agreed to do so, in exchange for a fee of £24,000.
the Privileges Committee considered the matter and took further evidence, concluding that it wasn't proved.
They found no reason to doubt Snape's "assertion that his intention to consult the Registrar before taking any steps was genuine, the meeting with the journalists was on Thursday, and they telephoned him within 24 hours to reveal the sting."
However, they felt his conversation with the journalists "demonstrated an inappropriate attitude to the rules governing the conduct of Members" and they therefore invited him to make a personal statement of apology to the House.
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 in the United Kingdom
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...
. He served as 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 West Bromwich East until he stood down in the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. He is the current Chairman of his hometown football club, Stockport County, as well as a major shareholder in the club.
He once lived at Greenwood Gardens, Bredbury
Bredbury
Bredbury is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England, located south east of Manchester, east of Stockport and south west of Hyde...
and was a railwayman and Bredbury and Romiley
Bredbury and Romiley
Bredbury and Romiley was an urban district in the administrative county of Cheshire, England from 1894 to 1974, which covered the Civil Parishes of Bredbury, Compstall and Romiley....
Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
councillor representing Bredbury South ward. He was elected as Labour
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...
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 West Bromwich East in 1974, after which he moved to live in Buglawton
Buglawton
Buglawton is a suburb of Congleton, in the south-east of Cheshire. It was a parish and an urban district from 1894 until 1936, when it was incorporated in Congleton borough....
. He retained links with the Bredbury area, serving for a time as a director of Stockport County football club, which he is now once again as of 2010. He held a number of government posts.
He was the member who formally proposed Michael Martin
Michael Martin (politician)
Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009...
to be the new Speaker
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
in 2000. He stood down in the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
and was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Snape, of Wednesbury in the County of West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
in 2004.
During the 1992 General Election campaign
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...
, 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...
MP Edwina Currie
Edwina Currie
Edwina Jonesnée Cohen is a former British Member of Parliament. First elected as a Conservative Party MP in 1983, she was a Junior Health Minister for two years, before resigning in 1988 over the controversy over salmonella in eggs...
poured a glass of orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
over Snape shortly after an edition of the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
-based debate show Central Weekend
Central Weekend
Central Weekend is a British television debate show which ran from 1986 to 2001. Known for the confrontational nature of its studio audience and topics, it was presented for many years by Nicky Campbell...
had finished airing. Speaking about the incident later, Currie said "I just looked at my orange juice, and looked at this man from which this stream of abuse was emanating, and thought 'I know how to shut you up.' " Snape subsequently won £15,000 after Currie "falsely suggested in her memoirs that it happened after Snape had been 'drinking vodka in a club with cronies'."
Controversy
In late-January 2009 it was alleged by the Sunday Times newspaper that Lord Snape was one of 4 Labour Lords who had agreed to back legislation changes in the House of LordsHouse 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....
that were favourable to 'big business' in exchange for a cash retainer. Two Sunday Times reporters posing as lobbyists for a foreign company looking to set up a chain of shops in the UK, had approached several peers to see if they could be bribed to help the company obtain an exemption from the Business Rates Supplements Bill. Snape reportedly agreed to do so, in exchange for a fee of £24,000.
Acquittal
Although the Lords' Sub-Committee found that Lord Snape "expressed a clear willingness to breach the Code of Conduct",the Privileges Committee considered the matter and took further evidence, concluding that it wasn't proved.
They found no reason to doubt Snape's "assertion that his intention to consult the Registrar before taking any steps was genuine, the meeting with the journalists was on Thursday, and they telephoned him within 24 hours to reveal the sting."
However, they felt his conversation with the journalists "demonstrated an inappropriate attitude to the rules governing the conduct of Members" and they therefore invited him to make a personal statement of apology to the House.