Ronald Bell (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir Ronald McMillan Bell, (14 April 1914 – 27 February 1982), QC
(1966), Knight Bachelor
(1980), was a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) in the United Kingdom
representing South Buckinghamshire from 1950 to 1974 and Beaconsfield
from 1974 to 1982.
, and Magdalen College
, Oxford University, (BA 1936, MA 1941). In 1935, he was Secretary and Treasurer of the Oxford Union Society, and President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
. In 1954, he married Elizabeth Audrey, eldest daughter of Kenneth Gossell, MC, of Burwash, Sussex, and by her had two sons (Andrew and Robert), and two daughters (Fiona and Lucinda).
, London
, and practised as a barrister-at-law in London and on the South-Eastern Circuit. He took silk in 1966. Bell served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve from 1939 to 1946. In 1975, he became a member of Court of the University of Reading
.
Division of Glamorgan
at a by-election in 1939, but was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Newport
at a by-election in May 1945
. He lost that seat just two months later, at the general election in July 1945
.
He was a member of Paddington Borough Council
in London from 1947 to 1949, and was elected as Conservative MP for South Buckinghamshire at the 1950 general election
. When that constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election
, he was elected for the new Beaconsfield
from 1974. That year, he became a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on European Legislation
.
, and led the rebels in the House of Commons
against the Race Relations Act 1965
. He argued against the importing of a new law affecting freedom of speech, and freedom to employ whoever one wishes, and, supported by Enoch Powell
, said the Bill made "very deep and damaging encroachments into the proper sphere of personal decision". He also felt that the Bill was an effort to achieve unwarranted equality, and that it was "concerned solely and exclusively with the intention to achieve social equality".
However, in a vote on 22 December 1964, Bell was one of the 91 Tory MPs to vote in favour of the abolishing of the death penalty.
He was one of the principal MP speakers at the Club's 'Law and Liberty' May Day
1970 rally in Trafalgar Square
, in answer to the 'Stop the Seventy Tour' campaign designed to stop the South Africa
n cricket tour.
Bell was still a member of the Club's Executive Council in 1971 and 1972 when, in September of the latter year, he was a principal speaker at the Club's 'Halt Immigration Now!' rally in Westminster Central Hall
, following which a resolution was passed calling upon the government to halt all immigration, repeal the Race Relations Act
, and start a full repatriation scheme. This was delivered to Edward Heath
, then Prime Minister
, who said that the government had no intention of repealing the Act.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(1966), Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
(1980), was 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,...
(MP) 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...
representing South Buckinghamshire from 1950 to 1974 and Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Beaconsfield 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. It is among the safest of Conservative seats....
from 1974 to 1982.
Family and education
The younger son of John Bell, Ronald was educated at Cardiff High SchoolCardiff High School
Cardiff High School is a comprehensive school in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff High School is two miles from the city centre, serving a neighbourhood of privately-owned houses. According to the 2007 ESTYN Report, "Cardiff High School is a very good school with many outstanding...
, and Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, Oxford University, (BA 1936, MA 1941). In 1935, he was Secretary and Treasurer of the Oxford Union Society, and President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
. In 1954, he married Elizabeth Audrey, eldest daughter of Kenneth Gossell, MC, of Burwash, Sussex, and by her had two sons (Andrew and Robert), and two daughters (Fiona and Lucinda).
Military and civilian life
In 1938, he was called to the Bar at Gray's InnGray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and practised as a barrister-at-law in London and on the South-Eastern Circuit. He took silk in 1966. Bell served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve from 1939 to 1946. In 1975, he became a member of Court of the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
.
Political career
Bell had unsuccessfully contested the CaerphillyCaerphilly (UK Parliament constituency)
Caerphilly is a county constituency centred on the town of Caerphilly in South Wales. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.The constituency has always elected Labour MPs.- Boundaries...
Division of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
at a by-election in 1939, but was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Newport
Newport (Monmouthshire) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a borough constituency in Monmouthshire from 1918 to 1983. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
at a by-election in May 1945
Newport by-election, 1945
The Newport by-election, 1945 was a parliamentary by-election held on 17 May 1945 for the British House of Commons constituency of Newport in Monmouthshire. It was the last by-election of the 1935-1945 Parliament....
. He lost that seat just two months later, at the general election in July 1945
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
He was a member of Paddington Borough Council
Metropolitan Borough of Paddington
The Metropolitan Borough of Paddington was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1900 and 1965.-History:Its area covered that part of the current City of Westminster west of Edgware Road and Maida Vale, and north of Bayswater Road. Places in the borough included Paddington,...
in London from 1947 to 1949, and was elected as Conservative MP for South Buckinghamshire at the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
. When that constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, he was elected for the new Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Beaconsfield 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. It is among the safest of Conservative seats....
from 1974. That year, he became a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on European Legislation
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Monday Club
Bell was an early (1962) and very active senior member of the Conservative Monday ClubConservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
, and led the rebels in 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...
against the Race Relations Act 1965
Race Relations Act 1965
The Race Relations Act 1965 was the first legislation in the United Kingdom to address racial discrimination.The Act outlawed discrimination on the "grounds of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins" in public places....
. He argued against the importing of a new law affecting freedom of speech, and freedom to employ whoever one wishes, and, supported by Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
, said the Bill made "very deep and damaging encroachments into the proper sphere of personal decision". He also felt that the Bill was an effort to achieve unwarranted equality, and that it was "concerned solely and exclusively with the intention to achieve social equality".
However, in a vote on 22 December 1964, Bell was one of the 91 Tory MPs to vote in favour of the abolishing of the death penalty.
He was one of the principal MP speakers at the Club's 'Law and Liberty' May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
1970 rally in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, in answer to the 'Stop the Seventy Tour' campaign designed to stop the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricket tour.
Bell was still a member of the Club's Executive Council in 1971 and 1972 when, in September of the latter year, he was a principal speaker at the Club's 'Halt Immigration Now!' rally in Westminster Central Hall
Westminster Central Hall
The Westminster Central Hall or Methodist Central Hall is a Methodist church in the City of Westminster. It occupies the corner of Tothill Street and Storeys Gate just off Victoria Street in London, near the junction with The Sanctuary next to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and facing...
, following which a resolution was passed calling upon the government to halt all immigration, repeal the Race Relations Act
Race Relations Act
The Race Relations Acts are a series of statutes by the United Kingdom parliament to address racial discrimination.They are:* The Race Relations Act 1965* The Race Relations Act 1968* The Race Relations Act 1976* The Race Relations Amendment Act 2000...
, and start a full repatriation scheme. This was delivered to Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
, then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, who said that the government had no intention of repealing the Act.