Albert Edward Booth (28 May 1928 – 6 February 2010)[1] was a British left-wing[2] Labour Party politician and cabinet minister.

Albert Booth
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
In office
14 July 1979 – 9 June 1983
LeaderJames Callaghan
Michael Foot
Preceded byNorman Fowler
Succeeded byJohn Prescott
Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
In office
4 May 1979 – 14 July 1979
LeaderJames Callaghan
Preceded byJames Prior
Succeeded byEric Varley
Secretary of State for Employment
In office
8 April 1976 – 4 May 1979
Prime MinisterJames Callaghan
Preceded byMichael Foot
Succeeded byJames Prior
Minister of State for Employment
In office
5 March 1974 – 8 April 1976
Prime MinisterHarold Wilson
Preceded byRobin Chichester-Clark
Succeeded byHarold Walker
Member of Parliament
for Barrow-in-Furness
In office
31 March 1966 – 13 May 1983
Preceded byWalter Monslow
Succeeded byCecil Franks
Personal details
Born(1928-05-28)28 May 1928
Acomb, England
Died6 February 2010(2010-02-06) (aged 81)
London, England
Political partyLabour
Alma materNorthumbria University

Early life

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Booth was born in Acomb, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 1928.[3] He was raised in Hampshire and South Shields, and educated at Marine School, South Shields, and Rutherford College of Technology (now Northumbria University).[3] He was a design draughtsman. He served as a councillor on Tynemouth Council 1962–65.

Parliamentary career

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Booth contested Tynemouth in 1964.[3] He was Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness from 1966 to 1983, and was Secretary of State for Employment from 1976 to 1979 serving under James Callaghan.[3] He also acted as the Labour Party's national Treasurer between 1983 and 1984.

After boundary changes, his seat was renamed Barrow and Furness, for the 1983 General Election but despite a 1979 majority of 7,741 he lost it to the Conservative Cecil Franks. This has often been attributed to Labour's unilateralist policy of nuclear disarmament, and Booth himself identified with that, leading a CND march through his constituency. However, his constituents were reliant on the defence industries, particularly shipbuilding, and this led to one of Labour's most unexpected defeats of the election.[2][4] However, a campaign against him centred in a local Catholic church, highlighting his record of voting in favour of women's right to choose to have an abortion, was also a significant factor.[citation needed] (Booth was a lay preacher in the Methodist Church.)[1]

Later career

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Booth made it through to the final round in the Labour selection for Sunderland South ahead of the 1987 election, but lost out by four votes to Chris Mullin.[5] He unsuccessfully contested Warrington South in 1987.[3]

Personal life and death

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In 1957, Booth married Joan Atkinson (née Amis); they had three sons and were married until her death in 2008.[3]

Booth died at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Locksbottom, London, on 6 February 2010, at the age of 81; his health had been in decline due to a series of illnesses, including prostate cancer.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Former Barrow MP Albert Booth dies at 81 – tributes". North-West Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b Julia Langdon (10 February 2010). "Albert Booth obituary | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Howell, David (2014). "Booth, Albert Edward (1928–2010), politician". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/102534. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ "Albert Booth". The Daily Telegraph. 15 February 2010.
  5. ^ Chris Mullin (2016). Hinterland (Page 10). ISBN 978-1781256060.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness
19661983
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State for Employment
1976–1979
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of the Labour Party
1983–1984
Succeeded by