John Ryman
Encyclopedia
John Ryman QC
(born 7 November 1930) is a former British
Labour Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) who sat as an independent MP for his last year in the House of Commons
.
Ryman was a barrister and a fox-hunter. He was elected MP for Blyth
in the October 1974 general election
, ousting the incumbent Eddie Milne
(who had been re-elected as an Independent Labour MP at the February 1974 election
after being deselected as the official Labour candidate). In 1976 Ryman's agent Peter Mortakis was fined £400 in under the Representation of the People Act 1949
and the Perjury Act 1911
for falsifying his election expenses return and overspending, although the election result stood.
In a close Parliament, Ryman's frequent absences from Parliament (either to continue his legal work or for other reasons) tried the patience of the whips. On one celebrated occasion the Chief Whip Bob Mellish
went on the radio to ask listeners to get in touch if they had spotted him.
When the German Social Democrat Helmut Schmidt
urged the Labour Party to support British membership of the EEC, Ryman responded with "Why should this patronising Hun
lecture the British Labour Party?"
Ryman held off a strong challenge from Milne in the 1979 general election
, holding his seat with a majority of over 7,000. The constituency was renamed Blyth Valley
for the 1983 general election
, when the newly-formed Social Democratic Party
(SDP) cut his majority to 3,243. In 1986, he announced that he was leaving the Labour Party and sat as an independent until he retired at the 1987 general election
. His successor was Ronnie Campbell
.
On April 23, 1992 Ryman was convicted of defrauding two women of their life savings. He had pretended to be the Director of a Swiss bank and told the women that they would get 22·5% interest, but in fact paid the money to his ex-wife for maintenance payments. Ryman was given a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence.
, another Labour MP. They married in 1957 but had divorced by the time he entered Parliament. He was married five times in all.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born 7 November 1930) is a former 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...
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) who sat as an independent MP for his last year in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
Ryman was a barrister and a fox-hunter. He was elected MP for Blyth
Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
in the October 1974 general election
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...
, ousting the incumbent Eddie Milne
Eddie Milne
Edward James "Eddie" Milne was a British Labour politician, who was elected as independent candidate after deselection by his party....
(who had been re-elected as an Independent Labour MP at the February 1974 election
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,...
after being deselected as the official Labour candidate). In 1976 Ryman's agent Peter Mortakis was fined £400 in under the Representation of the People Act 1949
Representation of the People Act 1949
The Representation of the People Act 1949 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act consolidated previous electoral law, but also made some changes to administration....
and the Perjury Act 1911
Perjury Act 1911
The Perjury Act 1911 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates the offence of perjury and a number of similar offences....
for falsifying his election expenses return and overspending, although the election result stood.
In a close Parliament, Ryman's frequent absences from Parliament (either to continue his legal work or for other reasons) tried the patience of the whips. On one celebrated occasion the Chief Whip Bob Mellish
Bob Mellish, Baron Mellish
Robert Joseph Mellish, Baron Mellish, PC was a British politician. He was a long-serving Labour Party MP and served as the Labour Chief Whip from 1969 until 1976 but in his later years he fell out with his local Constituency Labour Party which had become dominated by left-wingers, and eventually...
went on the radio to ask listeners to get in touch if they had spotted him.
When the German Social Democrat Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...
urged the Labour Party to support British membership of the EEC, Ryman responded with "Why should this patronising Hun
Hun (disambiguation)
A Hun is a member of the Huns, a confederation of Eurasian tribes.Hun may also refer to:- Anthropology :* North Caucasian Huns, a branch of the Huns in Daghestan in the 6th and 7th centuries...
lecture the British Labour Party?"
Ryman held off a strong challenge from Milne in 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...
, holding his seat with a majority of over 7,000. The constituency was renamed Blyth Valley
Blyth Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Blyth Valley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
for 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...
, when the newly-formed Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
(SDP) cut his majority to 3,243. In 1986, he announced that he was leaving the Labour Party and sat as an independent until he retired at the 1987 general election
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...
. His successor was Ronnie Campbell
Ronnie Campbell
Ronald Campbell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley since 1987.-Early life:He grew up in a family of eight brothers and sisters...
.
On April 23, 1992 Ryman was convicted of defrauding two women of their life savings. He had pretended to be the Director of a Swiss bank and told the women that they would get 22·5% interest, but in fact paid the money to his ex-wife for maintenance payments. Ryman was given a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence.
Personal life
Ryman was a former husband of Shirley SummerskillShirley Summerskill
Shirley Catherine Wynne Summerskill is a British Labour Party politician and former government minister.Summerskill was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford and trained as a doctor at St. Thomas's Hospital...
, another Labour MP. They married in 1957 but had divorced by the time he entered Parliament. He was married five times in all.