Henry Usborne
Encyclopedia
Henry Charles Usborne was a British
Labour
politician who defected to the Liberals
.
Henry Usborne was born in Leamington, Warwickshuire, educated at Bradfield College and read Engineering at Cambridge.
At the 1945 general election
, He was elected Member of Parliament
for Acocks Green
. The constituency was then abolished and in 1950
Usborne was elected in the marginal constituency of Birmingham Yardley. He held the seat until the 1959 general election
.
According to his obituary in the Times on 19 March 1996, Usborne resigned from the Labour Party in 1962 and joined the Liberals. He urged former colleagues to join Jo Grimond's party as the best hope for defeating the Conservatives. There was a suggestion that Usborne be nominated to stand for the Liberal Party at Cheltenham but he announced that wild horses would not drag him into another Parliamentary contest.
In addition to his work as a constituency MP Henry Usborne was one of the main drivers in the British branch of the World Federalist Movement
. In 1947, ahead of the foundation of the United Nations
, he co-founded the Parliamentary Group for World Government, which as All Party Parliamentary Group for World Governance (APPGWG) counts today (2008) 167 members and meets regularly to provide a forum for debate on global governance issues in the UK Parliament. In 1951 Henry Usborne set up the One World Trust
as an independent educational Charity to provide secretarial support to the Group, promote and disseminate knowledge on world governance. In addition to its ongoing support for the APPGWG the One World Trust conducts independent research into the accountability of global organisations, political engagement of citizens at global level, and international law. He died in Evesham
aged 86.
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...
Labour
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 who defected to the Liberals
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...
.
Henry Usborne was born in Leamington, Warwickshuire, educated at Bradfield College and read Engineering at Cambridge.
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...
, He was elected 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,...
for Acocks Green
Birmingham Acock's Green (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham Acock's Green was a short-lived constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
. The constituency was then abolished and in 1950
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...
Usborne was elected in the marginal constituency of Birmingham Yardley. He held the seat until the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
.
According to his obituary in the Times on 19 March 1996, Usborne resigned from the Labour Party in 1962 and joined the Liberals. He urged former colleagues to join Jo Grimond's party as the best hope for defeating the Conservatives. There was a suggestion that Usborne be nominated to stand for the Liberal Party at Cheltenham but he announced that wild horses would not drag him into another Parliamentary contest.
In addition to his work as a constituency MP Henry Usborne was one of the main drivers in the British branch of the World Federalist Movement
World Federalist Movement
The World Federalist Movement is a global citizens movement with member and associate organizations around the world. The WFM International Secretariat is based in New York City across from the United Nations headquarters...
. In 1947, ahead of the foundation of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, he co-founded the Parliamentary Group for World Government, which as All Party Parliamentary Group for World Governance (APPGWG) counts today (2008) 167 members and meets regularly to provide a forum for debate on global governance issues in the UK Parliament. In 1951 Henry Usborne set up the One World Trust
One World Trust
The One World Trust promotes education and research into changes required in global governance to achieve the eradication of poverty, injustice, environmental degradation and war. It develops recommendations on practical ways to make powerful organisations more accountable to the people they affect...
as an independent educational Charity to provide secretarial support to the Group, promote and disseminate knowledge on world governance. In addition to its ongoing support for the APPGWG the One World Trust conducts independent research into the accountability of global organisations, political engagement of citizens at global level, and international law. He died in Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
aged 86.