Wesley Perrins
Encyclopedia
Wesley Perrins, MBE
(21 September 1905 – 12 January 1990) was an English trade union
ist and Labour Party
politician from Stourbridge
. He had a long career in local government in Worcestershire
, and sat in the House of Commons from 1945 to 1950.
. A socialist, and a trade union official from 1935, Perrins was a member of Lye and Wollescote Urban District Council from 1928 to 1933, and of Stourbridge Urban District Council from 1933 to 1936.
He was elected at the 1945 general election
as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Birmingham Yardley, defeating the constituency's long-serving Conservative
MP Sir Edward Salt
. Perrins served only five years in Westminster
, and retired from the Parliament
at the 1950 general election
.
He was awarded the MBE
in the New Year Honours List 1952 for his work as Birmingham and District secretary of the General and Municipal Workers Union, later became a member of the West Midlands Economic Planning Council. He was a members of Worcestershire County Council from 1955 to 1974 and of the National Executive Committee
of the Labour Party from 1965 to 1965.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(21 September 1905 – 12 January 1990) was an English trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and 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...
politician from Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
. He had a long career in local government in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, and sat in the House of Commons from 1945 to 1950.
Early life
Perrins was the son of Councillor Amos Perrins of Stourbridge. He was educated at Wollescote Council School and at the Upper Standard School in LyeLye, West Midlands
Lye is a suburban area of the Black Country in England, between Halesowen and Stourbridge in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands. It was formerly a village in the parish of Oldswinford, Worcestershire...
. A socialist, and a trade union official from 1935, Perrins was a member of Lye and Wollescote Urban District Council from 1928 to 1933, and of Stourbridge Urban District Council from 1933 to 1936.
He was elected at the 1945 general election
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...
as the 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 Birmingham Yardley, defeating the constituency's long-serving 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 Sir Edward Salt
Edward William Salt
Sir Edward William Salt was a Conservative Member of Parliament for the Birmingham Yardley constituency from 1931 to 1945....
. Perrins served only five years in Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
, and retired from the Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
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...
.
He was awarded the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the New Year Honours List 1952 for his work as Birmingham and District secretary of the General and Municipal Workers Union, later became a member of the West Midlands Economic Planning Council. He was a members of Worcestershire County Council from 1955 to 1974 and of the National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
of the Labour Party from 1965 to 1965.