Christopher Ward (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Christopher John Ferguson Ward (born 26 December 1942) is a British
solicitor
and Conservative Party
politician, who served as a Member of Parliament
(MP) for only seven months after winning a byelection. His attempts to be selected for a safe seat were thwarted, and when he found a winnable marginal seat, he found his vote split by an unofficial Conservative candidate.
in Oxford
, and then at the Law Society
School of Law; he was admitted to the roll of solicitor
s in January 1965. He was employed a solicitor in Reading
.
and was elected Chairman of the Young Conservatives in the Wessex area. In 1965 Ward began his political career when he was elected to Berkshire County Council. He became chairman of the Road Safety committee and in February 1969 he condemned the state of the A4 between Reading
and Hungerford
as a "killer road", after 38 people were killed on the road in the space of eighteen months.
MP Francis Noel-Baker
resigned
from the House of Commons in 1969, Ward was selected as the Conservative candidate in the resulting by-election
. Ward noted the large number of candidates (the Liberal Party
, Communist Party of Great Britain
and a "Young Socialist" candidate stood) could help him win if disenchanted Labour voters stayed at home. After a recount, Ward won with a majority of 478, overturning Noel-Baker's majority of over 10,000 at the 1966 general election
; his victory speech was received in hostility by a Labour-supporting crowd.
in a debate on capital punishment
in December 1969, declaring that he wanted to vote for abolition of the death penalty with a clear conscience but that there was inadequate evidence that it was safe to do so. In January 1970 he initiated a debate on housebuilding, insisting that half a million houses needed to be built every year in order to solve the housing problem; he called on the Labour government to apologise for failing to meet that target.
, Ward tried to attract attention by campaigning on a horse and cart. However, he could not prevent the Labour candidate David Stoddart
retaking the seat with a majority of 5,576.
constituency in a 1971 byelection. In 1972 he was shortlisted for Mid Oxon, losing out to Douglas Hurd
, and for Kingston-upon-Thames
, losing out to Norman Lamont; he was perceived as being on the left of the Conservative Party. He was also edged out at Christchurch and Lymington
by Robert Adley
, at Beaconsfield
by Ronald Bell
, and at Hove
by Tim Sainsbury
. Ward was ultimately not selected anywhere in the February
and October 1974 general elections
.
. At the 1976 Conservative Party conference, Ward opened the discussion on "People, Parliament and the Constitution", arguing that Britain was no longer a truly free society because the Labour government wanted a state-controlled society.
At the 1979 general election
, Ward faced an additional challenge when a rebel local Conservative councillor who had recently served as Mayor was nominated as an unofficial candidate. Ward ended up losing the election by 1,340 votes with the unofficial candidate taking 2,359 votes.
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...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and 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...
politician, who served as a 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 only seven months after winning a byelection. His attempts to be selected for a safe seat were thwarted, and when he found a winnable marginal seat, he found his vote split by an unofficial Conservative candidate.
Education
Ward was educated at Magdalen College SchoolMagdalen College School, Oxford
Magdalen College School is an independent school for boys aged 7 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, located on The Plain in Oxford, England. It was founded as part of Magdalen College, Oxford by William Waynflete in 1480....
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and then at the Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
School of Law; he was admitted to the roll of solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s in January 1965. He was employed a solicitor in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
.
County councillor
Ward was already committed to the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
and was elected Chairman of the Young Conservatives in the Wessex area. In 1965 Ward began his political career when he was elected to Berkshire County Council. He became chairman of the Road Safety committee and in February 1969 he condemned the state of the A4 between Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
as a "killer road", after 38 people were killed on the road in the space of eighteen months.
By-election campaign
When LabourLabour 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...
MP Francis Noel-Baker
Francis Noel-Baker
Francis Edward Noel-Baker was a British Labour Party politician. His father was Labour MP and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Philip Noel-Baker....
resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
from the House of Commons in 1969, Ward was selected as the Conservative candidate in the resulting by-election
Swindon by-election, 1969
The Swindon by-election of 3 October 1969 was held after Labour Member of Parliament Francis Noel-Baker resigned from the House of Commons. The seat was won by the Conservative Party in a defeat for Harold Wilson's government.-Results:...
. Ward noted the large number of candidates (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...
, 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:...
and a "Young Socialist" candidate stood) could help him win if disenchanted Labour voters stayed at home. After a recount, Ward won with a majority of 478, overturning Noel-Baker's majority of over 10,000 at the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
; his victory speech was received in hostility by a Labour-supporting crowd.
Parliament
Ward made his maiden speechMaiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
in a debate on capital punishment
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
in December 1969, declaring that he wanted to vote for abolition of the death penalty with a clear conscience but that there was inadequate evidence that it was safe to do so. In January 1970 he initiated a debate on housebuilding, insisting that half a million houses needed to be built every year in order to solve the housing problem; he called on the Labour government to apologise for failing to meet that target.
Defeat
At the general election in June 1970United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, Ward tried to attract attention by campaigning on a horse and cart. However, he could not prevent the Labour candidate David Stoddart
David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon
David Leonard Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon is a British independent Labour politician .-Political career:...
retaking the seat with a majority of 5,576.
Selections
Ward began to look round for a winnable constituency to fight, and was considered for the Arundel and ShorehamArundel and Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)
Arundel and Shoreham was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was created for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was divided to create the constituencies of Arundel and Shoreham.-Members of...
constituency in a 1971 byelection. In 1972 he was shortlisted for Mid Oxon, losing out to Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
, and for Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston-upon-Thames (UK Parliament constituency)
Kingston-upon-Thames was a parliamentary constituency in the South-West London suburb of Kingston upon Thames which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, losing out to Norman Lamont; he was perceived as being on the left of the Conservative Party. He was also edged out at Christchurch and Lymington
Christchurch and Lymington (UK Parliament constituency)
Christchurch and Lymington was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Christchurch and Lymington in Hampshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
by Robert Adley
Robert Adley
Robert James Adley was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom and railway enthusiast.Adley was educated at Uppingham School and would become a company director. In the 1970s Adley was part-time Marketing Director for Holiday Inn...
, at 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....
by Ronald Bell
Ronald Bell (UK politician)
Sir Ronald McMillan Bell, , QC , Knight Bachelor , was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom representing South Buckinghamshire from 1950 to 1974 and Beaconsfield from 1974 to 1982.-Family and education:The younger son of John Bell, Ronald was educated at Cardiff High...
, and at Hove
Hove (UK Parliament constituency)
Hove is a borough 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...
by Tim Sainsbury
Tim Sainsbury
Sir Timothy Alan Davan Sainsbury is a politician and businessman in the United Kingdom.-Early life:Sainsbury is the youngest son of Lord Sainsbury and his wife Doreen...
. Ward was ultimately not selected anywhere in the February
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,...
and October 1974 general elections
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
.
Eton and Slough candidate
Ward had stood down from Berkshire County Council in 1970 but returned to it in 1974; he served as Deputy Leader and chair of the Finance sub-committee. He was also a member of the South East Regional Planning Council. He had better luck with Parliamentary selections in 1976 when he was chosen as Conservative candidate for Eton and SloughEton and Slough (UK Parliament constituency)
Eton and Slough was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
. At the 1976 Conservative Party conference, Ward opened the discussion on "People, Parliament and the Constitution", arguing that Britain was no longer a truly free society because the Labour government wanted a state-controlled society.
At the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, Ward faced an additional challenge when a rebel local Conservative councillor who had recently served as Mayor was nominated as an unofficial candidate. Ward ended up losing the election by 1,340 votes with the unofficial candidate taking 2,359 votes.