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John Battle (politician)
Encyclopedia
John Dominic Battle, KC*SG
(born 26 April 1951) is a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Leeds West
from 1987
to 2010.
and educated at St. Paulinus' School, a primary school in Dewsbury
; St Michael's College Underley Hall 1962-1967 (a junior seminary
- secondary education - for the training of priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool
), and at St Joseph,s Upholland College [1967-1972) following a year of work he went to the University of Leeds
where he gained a BA First class hons
in English in 1976. From 1976-79 he undertook postgraduate research.
In 1979 he began to work as a research assistant to Derek Enright
, a fellow Catholic and a Member of the European Parliament
. Battle gained a seat on the City of Leeds
Council in 1980. He chaired the innovative Industry and Employment Committee and later the Housing Committee
He was chosen to contest the Conservative seat of Leeds North West
at the 1983 General Election
. Donald Kaberry
, the Conservative
MP since the constituency's creation in 1955, was retiring. John Battle lost to a sitting MP in Keith Hampson
, whose own seat of Ripon
had been abolished.
Battle became the national coordinator for Church Action on Poverty
in 1983 and in 1986 John Battle was selected to fight the seat of Leeds West, which had seen a shock result at the 1983 general election. Joseph Dean
had been comfortably re-elected as the Labour MP for Leeds West at the 1979 General Election
, with a majority of over 10,000 votes. However, in 1983 he was defeated by the Liberal
Michael Meadowcroft
to national surprise, for Leeds West had been held by Labour since the war
.
.
Within a year of entering the Commons Battle was promoted to the Opposition Whip's Office
by Neil Kinnock
in 1988, but resigned in protest at Labour's support for the Major
government over the 1991 Gulf War
. After the 1992 General Election
, he joined the frontbench of the new Labour Party leader, John Smith
as a spokesman on the Housing. Following Smith's death and the election of Tony Blair
as Leader of the Opposition in 1994, Battle was moved to become the spokesman on Science and Technology. A year later in 1995 he became a spokesman on Energy.
After the 1997 General Election
, Battle entered the government becoming Minister of State
at the Department of Trade and Industry with responsibility for Science, Energy and Industry, announcing the decommissioning of the nuclear power
station at Dounreay
in 1998. In 1999 he moved sideways to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
, but was dropped from government after the 2001 general election
. Subsequently he served on the International Development Committee
. He became a Member of the Privy Council
in 2002 and was the Prime Minister
's envoy to all the faith communities until May 2010.
On 27 June 2009 Battle was invested as a Knight Commander with Star of the Order of St Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI
, this in recognition of lifelong commitment and loyalty to the local Church and for Battle’s political contribution as a Member of Parliament.
, he is staunchly anti-abortion
, is pro-Nationalist regarding Northern Ireland
and a long standing champion of East Timor
.
, and they met at the University catholic chaplaincy. They have a son (born ca. 1980) and two daughters. One of his daughters graduated from the University of Leeds
in Mathematics and Finance. John Battle's brother, Jim Battle, is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council.
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
(born 26 April 1951) is a British
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 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, who was 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 Leeds West
Leeds West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds West is a borough constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
to 2010.
Early life
Battle was born in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and educated at St. Paulinus' School, a primary school in Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
; St Michael's College Underley Hall 1962-1967 (a junior seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
- secondary education - for the training of priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool
Archdiocese of Liverpool
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite, of the Roman Catholic church in England. The episcopal see is the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, located in Liverpool. The Archdiocese covers the south west of the traditional county of Lancashire...
), and at St Joseph,s Upholland College [1967-1972) following a year of work he went to the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
where he gained a BA First class hons
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English in 1976. From 1976-79 he undertook postgraduate research.
In 1979 he began to work as a research assistant to Derek Enright
Derek Enright
Derek Anthony Enright was a Labour politician in the United Kingdom.-Early life:Born in Thornaby-on-Tees, he attended the St Michael's College on St John's Road in Leeds , then a grammar school...
, a fellow Catholic and a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
. Battle gained a seat on the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
Council in 1980. He chaired the innovative Industry and Employment Committee and later the Housing Committee
He was chosen to contest the Conservative seat of Leeds North West
Leeds North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds North West is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire which is 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....
at the 1983 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
. Donald Kaberry
Donald Kaberry
Donald Kaberry, Baron Kaberry of Adel, TD , known as Sir Donald Kaberry, 1st Baronet, from 1960 to 1983, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom....
, the 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 since the constituency's creation in 1955, was retiring. John Battle lost to a sitting MP in Keith Hampson
Keith Hampson
Keith Hampson is a former Conservative party politician in the United Kingdom.Hampson was educated at King James I Grammar School, Bishop Auckland, where he was head boy, the University of Bristol and Harvard and was a university lecturer by profession...
, whose own seat of Ripon
Ripon (UK Parliament constituency)
Ripon was a constituency sending members to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1983, centred on the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire.-History:...
had been abolished.
Battle became the national coordinator for Church Action on Poverty
Church Action on Poverty
Church Action on Poverty is a UK-based national ecumenical Christian social justice charity, committed to tackling poverty in the United Kingdom. CAP works in partnership with churches and with people in poverty themselves to find solutions to poverty, locally, nationally and globally.CAP was...
in 1983 and in 1986 John Battle was selected to fight the seat of Leeds West, which had seen a shock result at the 1983 general election. Joseph Dean
Joseph Dean
Joseph Jabez Dean, Baron Dean of Beswick was a British Labour Party politician.At the February 1974 general election, Dean was elected as Member of Parliament for Leeds West...
had been comfortably re-elected as the Labour MP for Leeds West 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...
, with a majority of over 10,000 votes. However, in 1983 he was defeated by the Liberal
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...
Michael Meadowcroft
Michael Meadowcroft
Michael James Meadowcroft is a politician and political affairs consultant in the United Kingdom.He was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Leeds West from 1983 to 1987, and founder of the "continuing" Liberal Party in 1989 following the party's merger with the Social Democratic Party to form the...
to national surprise, for Leeds West had been held by Labour since the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Parliamentary career
Against the national swing, Battle won fairly easily and regained the Leeds West for Labour. Meadowcroft only served one term at WestminsterPalace 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...
.
Within a year of entering the Commons Battle was promoted to the Opposition Whip's Office
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...
by Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
in 1988, but resigned in protest at Labour's support for the Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
government over the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. After the 1992 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, he joined the frontbench of the new Labour Party leader, John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
as a spokesman on the Housing. Following Smith's death and the election of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
as Leader of the Opposition in 1994, Battle was moved to become the spokesman on Science and Technology. A year later in 1995 he became a spokesman on Energy.
After the 1997 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Battle entered the government becoming Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department of Trade and Industry with responsibility for Science, Energy and Industry, announcing the decommissioning of the nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
station at Dounreay
Dounreay
Dounreay is the site of several nuclear research establishments located on the north coast of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland...
in 1998. In 1999 he moved sideways to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, but was dropped from government after the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. Subsequently he served on the International Development Committee
International Development Committee
The International Development Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for International Development and its associated public...
. He became a Member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 2002 and was the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
's envoy to all the faith communities until May 2010.
On 27 June 2009 Battle was invested as a Knight Commander with Star of the Order of St Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, this in recognition of lifelong commitment and loyalty to the local Church and for Battle’s political contribution as a Member of Parliament.
Personal life
As a devout Roman CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, he is staunchly anti-abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, is pro-Nationalist regarding Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and a long standing champion of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
.
Family
He married Mary Meenan in 1977, who is of Irish Catholic extraction and who was a maths researcher at the University of LeedsUniversity of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, and they met at the University catholic chaplaincy. They have a son (born ca. 1980) and two daughters. One of his daughters graduated from the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in Mathematics and Finance. John Battle's brother, Jim Battle, is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council.