Walton Newbold
Encyclopedia
John Turner Walton Newbold (8 May 1888–20 February 1943), known as Walton Newbold, was the first Member of Parliament
in the United Kingdom
to be elected as a Communist.
, Lancashire
on 8 May 1888, and was educated at Buxton College and the University of Manchester
.
On leaving university, Newbold lectured in history and politics, and was engaged in industrial and economic research . He joined the Fabian Society
, supporters of the Labour Party
, in 1908, and then the Independent Labour Party
(ILP) in 1910. In line with the ILP's pacifist position on World War I
, he joined the No Conscription Fellowship, and was a conscientious objector
, for a while living "on the run" from the authorities.
and the British Socialist Party
. By 1920, he was a committed communist, stating "my loyalty, at any rate, is now - as it has been for two and a half years - first and foremost to the position of the Third International". In 1921 he resigned from the ILP and joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
, becoming a member of its first central committee
.
In the 1922 UK general election, Newbold was elected to represent the Motherwell constituency
in the House of Commons. He received the support of the Labour Party, but unlike many other Communist candidates, including Shapurji Saklatvala
who was elected in the same general election, he stood under the label "Communist". Additionally, he was refused permission to take the Labour whip
and to sit with the Labour group. As such, he is sometimes counted as the first Communist MP in the United Kingdom, although others cite Cecil L'Estrange Malone
, who converted from the Liberal Party
in 1920 as the first Communist MP.
Newbold was sometimes seen as ineffective in Parliament, mocked by many other MPs for his old and frequently dirty clothing, but focussed on producing propaganda for the Communist Party. He lost his seat in the 1923 UK general election, after just over a year in Parliament. Increasingly disillusioned with communism, he resigned from the party in 1924 and rejoined the Labour Party. In 1928 Newbold joined the Social Democratic Federation
, and edited its journal, Social Democrat, from 1929 until 1931, when he supported the National Labour split from Labour.
He stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate in Epping
in the 1929 UK general election. In the same year he was appointed to the Macmillan Enquiry into the operation of banking in the UK.
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,...
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...
to be elected as a Communist.
Early years
John Turner Walton Newbold was born in CulchethCulcheth
Culcheth is a large village approximately 6 miles north-east of Warrington, England. It is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury civil parish. The village has many amenities which make it a popular place to live. These include a library, a village hall, sports facilities, two...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
on 8 May 1888, and was educated at Buxton College and the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
.
On leaving university, Newbold lectured in history and politics, and was engaged in industrial and economic research . He joined the Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
, supporters of 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...
, in 1908, and then the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
(ILP) in 1910. In line with the ILP's pacifist position on World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he joined the No Conscription Fellowship, and was a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
, for a while living "on the run" from the authorities.
Political career
In 1917 Newbold joined the Labour educational Plebs' LeaguePlebs' League
The Plebs' League was a British educational and political organisation which originated around Marxist ideals.Central to the formation of the League was Noah Ablett, a miner from the Rhondda who was at the core of a group at Ruskin College, Oxford who opposed the lecturers' opposition to Marxism...
and the British Socialist Party
British Socialist Party
The British Socialist Party was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained decisive control of the party and saw the defection of its pro-war Right Wing...
. By 1920, he was a committed communist, stating "my loyalty, at any rate, is now - as it has been for two and a half years - first and foremost to the position of the Third International". In 1921 he resigned from the ILP and joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
, becoming a member of its first central committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
.
In the 1922 UK general election, Newbold was elected to represent the Motherwell constituency
Motherwell (UK Parliament constituency)
Motherwell was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1974. It was formed by the division of Lanarkshire. The name was changed in 1974 to Motherwell and Wishaw...
in the House of Commons. He received the support of the Labour Party, but unlike many other Communist candidates, including Shapurji Saklatvala
Shapurji Saklatvala
Shapurji Saklatvala was a British politician of Indian Parsi heritage. He was the third Indian Member of Parliament in the Parliament of the United Kingdom after fellow Parsis Dadabhai Naoroji and Mancherjee Bhownagree....
who was elected in the same general election, he stood under the label "Communist". Additionally, he was refused permission to take the Labour whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and to sit with the Labour group. As such, he is sometimes counted as the first Communist MP in the United Kingdom, although others cite Cecil L'Estrange Malone
Cecil L'Estrange Malone
Cecil John L'Estrange Malone was Britain's first communist member of the House of Commons.-Early years:Born in Dalton Holme, Yorkshire on 7 September 1890, a rector's son, he joined the Royal Navy in 1905 and attended the Royal Naval College at Devonport. In 1912 he learned to fly and gained his...
, who converted from 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...
in 1920 as the first Communist MP.
Newbold was sometimes seen as ineffective in Parliament, mocked by many other MPs for his old and frequently dirty clothing, but focussed on producing propaganda for the Communist Party. He lost his seat in the 1923 UK general election, after just over a year in Parliament. Increasingly disillusioned with communism, he resigned from the party in 1924 and rejoined the Labour Party. In 1928 Newbold joined the Social Democratic Federation
National Socialist Party (UK)
The National Socialist Party was a small political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1916. It originated as a minority group within the British Socialist Party who supported British participation in World War I; while historically linked with the Marxist left, the party grew more moderate...
, and edited its journal, Social Democrat, from 1929 until 1931, when he supported the National Labour split from Labour.
He stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate in Epping
Epping (UK Parliament constituency)
Epping was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in the 1929 UK general election. In the same year he was appointed to the Macmillan Enquiry into the operation of banking in the UK.
Sources consulted
- Enemy Within the Empire, Australian League of RightsAustralian League of RightsThe Australian League of Rights is a long-lived far right and anti-semitic political organisation in Australia founded by Eric Butler with its basis in the economic theory of Social Credit expounded by C. H. Douglas. It describes itself as upholding the virtues of freedom...
- The tasks awaiting the Communist Party, Weekly WorkerWeekly WorkerThe Weekly Worker is a newspaper published by the Communist Party of Great Britain . The paper is well known on the left for its polemical articles, close attention to Marxist theory and the politics of other Marxist groups...
- A. J. P. Taylor - revisionism, age-of-the-sage.org
- Revolutionaries and the Labour Party, Duncan HallasDuncan HallasDuncan Hallas , was a prominent member of the Trotskyist movement and a leading member of the Socialist Workers Party in Great Britain.-Biography:...
External links
- John Turner Walton Newbold Archive Marxists Internet Archive