Malcolm Thornton
Encyclopedia
Sir George Malcolm Thornton (born 3 April 1939), known as Malcolm Thornton, is a British
Conservative
politician
.
Thornton was first elected to Parliament in the 1979 general election
, winning the marginal seat of Liverpool Garston
from Labour's Eddie Loyden. In the early 1980s, however, all seats were re-organised with the new boundaries set to come in at the next election. Liverpool Garston would lean strongly towards Labour, so Thornton sought a safer seat in Crosby, just outside Liverpool
. However, following the death of Sir Graham Page
in 1981, Shirley Williams, a former Labour Cabinet minister who had founded the centrist SDP
a few months earlier, won the seat. That by-election
had been held at the zenith of Margaret Thatcher
's unpopularity; however, after that the economy returned to growth and Britain won the Falklands War
, so Thatcher called an election in 1983 which was a Tory landslide
. Thornton regained the seat, while Eddie Loyden won a redrawn Garston for Labour.
However, by 1997, the Conservatives were deeply unpopular and Thornton lost, by a surprisingly wide margin to Labour's Claire Curtis-Tansley
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Thornton was first elected to Parliament 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...
, winning the marginal seat of Liverpool Garston
Liverpool Garston (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Garston was a borough 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 system of election.-Boundaries:...
from Labour's Eddie Loyden. In the early 1980s, however, all seats were re-organised with the new boundaries set to come in at the next election. Liverpool Garston would lean strongly towards Labour, so Thornton sought a safer seat in Crosby, just outside Liverpool
Crosby (UK Parliament constituency)
Crosby was a constituency in Merseyside, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 2010. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
. However, following the death of Sir Graham Page
Graham Page
For the American automobile company, see Graham-Paige.Sir Graham Page was a British Conservative Party politician....
in 1981, Shirley Williams, a former Labour Cabinet minister who had founded the centrist SDP
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...
a few months earlier, won the seat. That by-election
Crosby by-election, 1981
The Crosby by-election, 1981 was a by-election held in England on 26 November 1981 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituency of Crosby on Merseyside...
had been held at the zenith of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's unpopularity; however, after that the economy returned to growth and Britain won the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, so Thatcher called an election in 1983 which was a Tory landslide
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...
. Thornton regained the seat, while Eddie Loyden won a redrawn Garston for Labour.
However, by 1997, the Conservatives were deeply unpopular and Thornton lost, by a surprisingly wide margin to Labour's Claire Curtis-Tansley
Claire Curtis-Thomas
Claire Curtis-Thomas is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Crosby from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
.