The Right Honourable Albert Booth |
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Shadow Secretary of State for Transport | |
In office 14 July 1979 – 9 June 1983 |
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Leader |
James Callaghan Michael Foot |
Preceded by | Norman Fowler |
Succeeded by | John Prescott |
Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | |
In office 4 May 1979 – 14 July 1979 |
|
Leader | James Callaghan |
Preceded by | James Prior |
Succeeded by | Eric Varley |
Secretary of State for Employment | |
In office 8 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 |
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Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
Preceded by | Michael Foot |
Succeeded by | James Prior |
Minister of State for Employment | |
In office 5 March 1974 – 8 April 1976 |
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Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
Preceded by | Robin Chichester-Clark |
Succeeded by | Harold Walker |
Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness |
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In office 31 March 1966 – 9 June 1983 |
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Preceded by | Walter Monslow |
Succeeded by | Cecil Franks |
Personal details | |
Born | 28 May 1928 |
Died | 6 February 2010 | (aged 81)
Political party | Labour |
Alma mater | Northumbria University |
Albert Edward Booth (28 May 1928 – 6 February 2010) was a British left-wingLabour Party politician.
Booth was educated at Marine School, South Shields and Rutherford College of Technology (Northumbria University). He was a design draughtsman. He served as a councillor on Tynemouth Council 1962–65.
Booth contested Tynemouth in 1964. He was Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness from 1966 to 1983, and was Secretary of State for Employment from 1976 to 1979 serving under James Callaghan. He also acted as the Labour Party's national Treasurer between 1983–1984.
After boundary changes, his seat was renamed Barrow and Furness, for the 1983 General Election but despite a 1979 majority of 7,741 he lost it to the Conservative Cecil Franks. This has often been attributed to Labour's unilateralist policy of nuclear disarmament, and Booth himself identified with that, leading a CND march through his constituency. However, his constituents were reliant on the defence industries, particularly shipbuilding, and this led to one of Labour's most unexpected defeats of the election. However, a campaign against him centred in a local Catholic church, highlighting his record of voting in favour of women's right to choose to have an abortion, was also a significant factor.
Despite contesting Warrington South in 1987, Booth never won back a seat in Parliament.