From 1983 to 1992, Kinnock was leader of the Labour Party and led the Party into the elections defeats of 1987 at the hands of Margaret Thatcher, and 1992 at the hands of John Major. It was two days before the General Election. He did a lot to reform the Labour party and … [55], Kinnock strongly opposed Brexit. And I'd much prefer to have his savage hatred than even the merest hint of friendship from that man."[14]. Video, Inside the world's richest esports player's mansion, NYC bendy bus left drooping from overpass, North Korea unveils new submarine-launched missile, Trump takes final swipes at China's big companies, Indonesia searches rubble for earthquake survivors, Fake news 'causing UK South Asians to reject jab', New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain dies. The moment things are said to have turned badly for Neil Kinnock in the 1987 election was when he swaggered on stage at a Sheffield rally in the last week of … [62], He was portrayed by both Chris Barrie and Steve Coogan in the satirical TV programme, Spitting Image and by Euan Cuthbertson in the Scottish film In Search of La Che. He stressed economic growth, which had a much broader appeal to the middle-class than the idea of redistributing wealth to benefit the poor. I am telling you, no matter how entertaining, how fulfilling to short-term egos – you can't play politics with people's jobs and with people's services or with their homes.[17]. Labour won extra seats in Scotland, Wales and Northern England, but lost ground particularly in Southern England and London, where the Conservatives still dominated. At the end of October, it was announced that he would become a member of the House of Lords (intending to be a working peer), when he was able to leave his EU responsibilities. [41], The Labour-supporting Daily Mirror had backed Kinnock for the 1987 general election[43] and again in 1992. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}This has to be one of the more ironic disclosures I have received in response to a Freedom of Information request. [25] Significantly, Labour had gained twenty seats at the election.[26]. In 2018, Kinnock stated, “The truth is that we can either take the increasingly plain risks and costs of leaving the EU or have the stability, growth and revenues vital for crucial public services like the NHS and social care. Later many identified this as a particularly low period in Kinnock's leadership — as he appeared mired in internal battles after five years of leadership with the Conservatives still dominating the scene, and being ahead in the opinion polls. Neil Kinnock served as the Member of Parliament from Islwyn in South Wales from 1970 until 1995. He was first elected to the House of Commons on 18 June 1970, and became a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in October 1978. [42] The following day's headline in The Sun was "It's The Sun Wot Won It", which Rupert Murdoch, many years later at his April 2012 appearance before the Leveson Inquiry, stated was both "tasteless and wrong" and led to the editor Kelvin MacKenzie receiving a reprimand. Biden had been lifting entire lines of his stock stump speech from Britain’s then-Labor Party leader, Neil Kinnock, who was campaigning for prime minister across the pond. Opinion polls showed that voters favoured retaining the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons, (Labour's policy, supported by Kinnock, was of unilateral nuclear disarmament), and believed that the Conservatives would be better than Labour at defending the country. Labour leader: 1955-1963) The case for: With the exception of Neil Kinnock, no post-war politician has done the hardest job in British politics (Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition)… Neil Kinnock, Actor: Tracey Ullman: My Guy. .css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}Briefing papers not 'verbose' enough to be revealed, Biden unveils $1.9tn US economic relief package. You start with far-fetched resolutions. The Conservatives also regained the Fulham seat which it had lost to Labour at a by-election just over a year earlier. At the same time, the Labour Party's commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament was dropped, and reforms of Party Conference and the National Executive meant that local parties lost much of their ability to influence policy. He was the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 until 1992. Having replaced Margaret Thatcher three years previously, the new Prime Minister, John Major, has had to face economic difficulties and divisions within his party as he attempts to keep the Tories in power. [67], Media related to Neil Kinnock at Wikimedia Commons, (Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud), For a history of the Militant tendency in the Labour Party, see Eric Shaw, Notably when Kinnock appeared, as the guest presenter in an episode of, Vice-President of the European Commission, European Commissioner for Administrative Reform, Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science, University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, protested at Government restriction of their budgets, "South East Wales Public Life – Neil Kinnock – Labour politician from Tredegar", "Kinnock is Leader at his Rachel's Wedding Party", "1983: 'Dream ticket' wins Labour leadership", "Leader's speech, Bournemouth 1985: Neil Kinnock (Labour)", "Neil Kinnock, Militant speech, Labour party conference, October 1985", "UK General Election 1987 Campaign – Kinnock the Movie", "Summary results of the 1987 General Election", "VOTE2001 | THE ELECTION BATTLES 1945–1997", "Biden's Debate Finale: An Echo From Abroad", "Biden Withdraws Bid for President in Wake of Furor", "Mrs Thatcher Resigns – BBC 1 O'Clock News", "Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls", "Ballet star shows off charity portraits", "Rupert Murdoch: 'Sun wot won it' headline was tasteless and wrong", "Mirror Style Guide: Front page headline of the Mirror, 1987", "General Election 2010 – A century of Daily Mirror front pages – Mirror Online", "BBC One – Coming Home, Series 6, Neil Kinnock", House of Lords Journal 238 (Session 2004–05), Neil Kinnock warns Jeremy Corbyn: ‘Stop Brexit to save the NHS’, "New faces: Alan Sugar and Glenys Kinnock", "Ed Miliband: he may be an atheist, but is he a secularist? He resigned unexpectedly in 1976. Kinnock attacked Militant and their conduct in a speech delivered at the conference: I'll tell you what happens with impossible promises. Labour suffered from a persistent image of extremism, especially as Kinnock's campaign to root out Militant dragged on as figures on the hard left of the party tried to stop its progress. The court actions came, and by the attitude to the court actions, the NUM leadership ensured that they would face crippling damages as a consequence. Anyone under 30 might have been puzzled when Kellyanne Conway, the outgoing White House counselor, recently accused Joe Biden of serial plagiarism and … [20] Labour, now sporting a continental social democratic style emblem of a rose (replacing the party's first logo, the Liberty logo), appeared to be able to run the governing Conservatives close, but Margaret Thatcher did not let Labour's makeover go unchallenged. I suspect the answer is yes, and that the country would be a better place if he had become Prime Minister. Elected to the House of Commons in 1970, he became the Labour Party’s shadow education minister after the Conservatives won power in the 1979 general election. He scribbled the notes from which he delivered the speech in the car on the way to the rally, and his voice was hoarse from campaigning. It is not uncommon for a retired Leader of the Labour Party to be granted a peerage upon their retirement, particularly if they served as Prime Minister; examples of this include Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson. However, by the end of 1991, the Conservative majority still stood at 88 seats and Labour needed to win more than ninety new seats to gain an overall majority, although there was still the hope of forming a minority or coalition government if Labour failed to win a majority. Kinnock had a long career in British politics, though like Biden to date, at least, he never reached the top position in government. [40], On the day of the general election, The Sun newspaper ran a front page featuring Kinnock with the headline "If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights". He is an actor, known for Tracey Ullman: My Guy (1984), UK General Election (1950) and The Brain Drain (1993). He was finally elected as Labour Party leader on 2 October 1983, with 71% of the vote, and Roy Hattersley was elected as his deputy; their prospective partnership was considered to be a "dream ticket".[9]. Recognising that, we should stop Brexit to save the NHS – or, at very least, mitigate the damage by seeking European Economic Area membership.”[56], Kinnock met Glenys Kinnock (née Parry) in the early 1960s whilst studying at University College, Cardiff, where they were known as "the power and the glory" (Glenys the power), and they married on 25 March 1967. [10] Although Kinnock had come from the Tribune left-wing of the party, he parted company with many of his former allies after his appointment to the Shadow Cabinet. Mandelson and his team had revolutionised Labour's communications – a transformation symbolised by a party election broadcast popularly known as "Kinnock: The Movie". He left the House of Commons in 1995 to become a European Commissioner. [44] Less expected was the Financial Times backing Kinnock at the 1992 general election. In the end, though, Kinnock won a decisive victory over Benn and would soon enjoy a substantial rise in support.[30]. Previously living together in Peterston-super-Ely, a village near the western outskirts of Cardiff, in 2008 they relocated to Tufnell Park, London, to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren.[58]. [8], In June 1969, he won the Labour Party nomination for Bedwellty in South Wales, which became Islwyn for the 1983 general election. He resigned unexpectedly in 1976. The violence built up because the single tactic chosen was that of mass picketing, and so we saw policing on a scale and with a system that has never been seen in Britain before. [41] Kinnock blamed the newspaper in his resignation speech for Labour losing the election, along with other right-wing media sections who had backed the Conservatives in the run-up to the election. Neil Kinnock served as the Member of Parliament from Islwyn in South Wales from 1970 until 1995. Kinnock remained Leader of the Opposition following the election. [50] His term of office as a Commissioner was due to expire on 30 October 2004, but was delayed owing to the withdrawal of the new Commissioners. It was the start of the closest relationship there had ever been between a UK prime minister and a US president. Kinnock was determined to move the party's political standing to a centrist position, in order to improve its chances of winning a future general election. This began with an exercise dubbed the policy review, the most high-profile aspect of which was a series of consultations with the public known as "Labour Listens" in the autumn of 1987.[29]. Wilson’s lecturing style was punctuated with jokes. He has been married to Glenys Kinnock since March 25, 1967. Weekly quiz: What's the Sex and the City reboot called? However, Neil Kinnock was also elevated to the House of Lords, despite never being Prime Minister, and Michael Foot declined a similar offer. [19] By 1986, the party's position appeared to strengthen further with excellent local election results and a thorough rebranding of the party under the direction of Kinnock's director of communications Peter Mandelson, as well as seizing the Fulham seat in West London from the Conservatives at an April by-election. He was re-appointed to the Commission under new President Romano Prodi. Given that the Cabinet Office was preparing to release this paper in 1992 in line with a predicted Freedom of Information law, it seems puzzling and ironic that - despite a real FOI law now existing - it refused to disclose it over 20 years later until ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner. [32], Public reaction to Major's elevation was highly positive. They have a son, Stephen and a daughter, Rachel. ... No prime minister in Britain will ever be able to go to war without the endorsement of a majority of the House of Commons. It was prepared by the civil service in case the 1992 general election resulted in a Labour victory and Neil Kinnock became prime minister. Is now the time for Neil Kinnock’s Labour to take back power after over a decade in the wilderness? In 1988, Kinnock was challenged by Tony Benn for the party leadership. This article is more than 5 years old. [65][66] Like his wife, he is a Patron of Humanists UK. Bevan was considered and poetic. Quotations by Neil Kinnock, British Politician, Born March 28, 1942. [36], At the 1992 general election, Labour made considerable progress – reducing the Conservatives' majority to just 21 seats. When she was made a life peer in 2009, they became one of the few couples both to hold titles in their own right. Share with your friends. Neil Kinnock (1942–) turned down James Callaghan’s offer of junior posts in his government, and was therefore entirely without ministerial experience when he became Labour leader in 1983, though he has subsequently served as vice president of the European Commission. Until the summer of 2009, he was also Chairman of the British Council and President of Cardiff University. In 1992 Labour pledged to introduce a Freedom of Information Act, and the officials who drafted this document were clearly anticipating that policy. Kinnock remained as education spokesman following the resignation of Callaghan as Leader of the Labour Party and the election of Michael Foot as his successor in late 1980. 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