Thomas Graham (politician)
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tommy" Graham is a Scottish
former Labour Party
politician. A native of Glasgow
, Graham worked as an engineer before serving on Strathclyde Regional Council from 1978 to 1987.
He was elected in 1987 as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Renfrew West and Inverclyde
, defeating the Conservative
incumbent Anna McCurley
. After favourable boundary changes in 1997, he was elected for the new seat of Renfrewshire West
.
Following the suicide
of his parliamentary colleague Gordon McMaster
in July 1997, a long investigation was launched, since in his suicide note
McMaster had accused Graham of smearing him that he had a homosexual affair with a 17 year old employee of Graham's. In September 1998, Graham was expelled from the Labour Party for "bringing the party into disrepute", despite his categorical denials of any wrongdoing. He became an independent
and described himself as a 'Scottish Labour' MP.
After his expulsion when Graham was asked where he would be sitting in the House of Commons
, he replied, 'On my bum.' In fact, he actually sat on the opposition benches of the Commons but continued to vote with the government on many issues. It was thought that Graham would stand again at the 2001 general election
, but he did not do so and quietly retired. His successor was Labour's Jim Sheridan.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
politician. A native of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Graham worked as an engineer before serving on Strathclyde Regional Council from 1978 to 1987.
He was elected in 1987 as 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 Renfrew West and Inverclyde
Renfrew West and Inverclyde (UK Parliament constituency)
Renfrewshire West and Inverclyde was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997.The constituency was created out of, and merged back into, the West Renfrewshire constituency.-Members of Parliament:...
, defeating the Conservative
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
incumbent Anna McCurley
Anna McCurley
Anna Anderson McCurley née Gemmell, is a Scottish politician.McCurley, a teacher by vocation, served as a councillor on Strathclyde Regional Council 1978-82. McCurley contested West Stirlingshire in 1979 and Glasgow Central in a 1980 by-election.She was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament...
. After favourable boundary changes in 1997, he was elected for the new seat of Renfrewshire West
Renfrewshire West (UK Parliament constituency)
West Renfrewshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983 and again from 1997 until 2005...
.
Following the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of his parliamentary colleague Gordon McMaster
Gordon McMaster
Gordon James McMaster was a Scottish politician.Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, he was elected as Labour Member of Parliament for Paisley South at a by-election in 1990, following the death of Norman Buchan, and retained the seat until his own death in 1997...
in July 1997, a long investigation was launched, since in his suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
McMaster had accused Graham of smearing him that he had a homosexual affair with a 17 year old employee of Graham's. In September 1998, Graham was expelled from the Labour Party for "bringing the party into disrepute", despite his categorical denials of any wrongdoing. He became an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
and described himself as a 'Scottish Labour' MP.
After his expulsion when Graham was asked where he would be sitting 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...
, he replied, 'On my bum.' In fact, he actually sat on the opposition benches of the Commons but continued to vote with the government on many issues. It was thought that Graham would stand again at 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...
, but he did not do so and quietly retired. His successor was Labour's Jim Sheridan.