Leslie Spriggs
Encyclopedia
Leslie Spriggs was a British
Labour
politician and trade unionist, MP for St Helens
from 1958 until 1983.
Born in Bolton
, Spriggs served in the Navy and then worked on the railways. It was whilst he was working for the railways that he became involved in socialism and the trade union
movement. He joined the Labour Party in 1935, and the National Union of Railwaymen
in 1937, becoming "president of the NUR North West district council political section, as well as vice president of the industrial section" during the early 1970s.
Until elected a Member of Parliament
, Spriggs lived his adult life in Thornton, Lancashire
and was a railways goods guard. In 1955 he unsuccessfully contested his local constituency, North Fylde, a Conservative safe seat. Three years later, he was chosen as the Labour candidate in the St Helens by-election
following the resignation of Hartley Shawcross
. He won the seat, which he would retain until its abolition in 1983, and moved to St. Helens
. Following the seat's abolition he retired from politics, due to age and ill health, and moved back to Thornton. He had decided to retire in 1981, saying that being a MP was "a little too much when you've reached 72".
A career backbencher
, Spriggs was rarely in the public eye, and "often said it did not necessarily follow that those MPs who were rarely in the headlines were not representing their constituency properly." He believed that "behind the scenes" activity often produced the best results. One example of this was the price agreement he secured with foreign glassmakers that saved "countless" jobs in his constituency. He supported proposals for a float glass
plant at Pilkington
's St Helens facility, which he claimed lost him votes in the October 1974 general election
. Despite this claim, he only received one less vote than in the previous election
.
Spriggs suffered with ill-health for much of his life He suffered rheumatoid arthritis
, as well as having had several heart attacks. As early as 1970 rumours circulated that he was to stand down. A heart attack he suffered in 1974 became the subject of an anecdote by MP Joe Ashton, illustrating the sometimes extreme lengths party whips
would go to in cases of Division
:
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 and trade unionist, MP for St Helens
St Helens (UK Parliament constituency)
St Helens was a county constituency in the county of Lancashire, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
from 1958 until 1983.
Born in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Spriggs served in the Navy and then worked on the railways. It was whilst he was working for the railways that he became involved in socialism and the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement. He joined the Labour Party in 1935, and the National Union of Railwaymen
National Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
in 1937, becoming "president of the NUR North West district council political section, as well as vice president of the industrial section" during the early 1970s.
Until elected 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,...
, Spriggs lived his adult life in Thornton, Lancashire
Thornton, Lancashire
Thornton is a village on the Fylde, in Lancashire, England, about four miles north of Blackpool and two miles south of Fleetwood. It is in the Borough of Wyre...
and was a railways goods guard. In 1955 he unsuccessfully contested his local constituency, North Fylde, a Conservative safe seat. Three years later, he was chosen as the Labour candidate in the St Helens by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
following the resignation of Hartley Shawcross
Hartley Shawcross, Baron Shawcross
Hartley William Shawcross, Baron Shawcross, GBE, PC, KC was a British barrister and politician and the lead British prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal.- Early life :...
. He won the seat, which he would retain until its abolition in 1983, and moved to St. Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
. Following the seat's abolition he retired from politics, due to age and ill health, and moved back to Thornton. He had decided to retire in 1981, saying that being a MP was "a little too much when you've reached 72".
A career backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
, Spriggs was rarely in the public eye, and "often said it did not necessarily follow that those MPs who were rarely in the headlines were not representing their constituency properly." He believed that "behind the scenes" activity often produced the best results. One example of this was the price agreement he secured with foreign glassmakers that saved "countless" jobs in his constituency. He supported proposals for a float glass
Float glass
Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal, typically tin, although lead and various low melting point alloys were used in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and very flat surfaces. Modern windows are made from float glass...
plant at Pilkington
Pilkington
Pilkington Group Limited is a multinational glass manufacturing company headquartered in St Helens, United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of the Japan-based NSG Group...
's St Helens facility, which he claimed lost him votes 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...
. Despite this claim, he only received one less vote than in the previous 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,...
.
Spriggs suffered with ill-health for much of his life He suffered rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
, as well as having had several heart attacks. As early as 1970 rumours circulated that he was to stand down. A heart attack he suffered in 1974 became the subject of an anecdote by MP Joe Ashton, illustrating the sometimes extreme lengths party whips
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
would go to in cases of Division
Division (vote)
In parliamentary procedure, a division of the assembly is a voting method in which the members of the assembly take a rising vote or go to different parts of the chamber, literally dividing into groups indicating a vote in favour of or in opposition to a motion on the floor...
:
- "I remember the famous case of Leslie Spriggs, the then-Member for St. Helens. We had a tied vote and he was brought to the House in an ambulance having suffered a severe heart attack. The two Whips went out to look in the ambulance and there was Leslie Spriggs laid there as though he was dead. I believe that John Stradling ThomasJohn Stradling ThomasSir John Stradling Thomas was a Welsh Conservative Party politician.Thomas was educated at Rugby School and the University of London. He served as a councillor on Carmarthen Borough Council 1961-64. He was a farmer, company director and broadcaster.Thomas contested Aberavon in 1964 and...
said to Joe HarperJoseph Harper (English politician)Joseph Harper was a Labour Party politician in Great Britain.He was elected as the Member of Parliament MP for Pontefract at a by-election in 1962. He was MP for the constituency and then Pontefract and Castleford until he died in office aged 64...
, 'How do we know that he is alive?' So he leaned forward, turned the knob on the heart machine, the green light went around, and he said, 'There, you've lost--it's 311.' That is an absolutely true story. It is the sort of nonsense that used to happen. No one believes it, but it is true."