Iain Sproat

Iain Sproat
Minister for Sport
In office 27 May 1993 – 1 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Robert Key
Succeeded by	Tony Banks
Member of Parliament for Harwich
In office 9 April 1992 – 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Julian Ridsdale
Succeeded by	Ivan Henderson
Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South
In office 18 June 1970 – 9 June 1983
Preceded by	Donald Dewar
Succeeded by	Gerry Malone
Personal details
Born	8 November 1938
Died	29 September 2011 (aged 72)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Judith Mary Kernot (1979-2011)

Iain MacDonald Sproat (8 November 1938 – 29 September 2011)^[1] was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP).^[2] He was educated at Winchester College and Magdalen College, Oxford. He worked as a publisher and journalist.

Parliamentary career

Sproat first contested Rutherglen in a by-election in May 1964, and again in the general election later that year, but was unsuccessful in both campaigns.

At the 1970 general election, he stood in the marginal Scottish constituency of Aberdeen South, and ousted the sitting Labour MP, Donald Dewar.^[2][3] He was re-elected there at three further elections, until the 1983 general election when he moved to contest Roxburgh and Berwickshire believing that this was a 'safer' seat. However, Aberdeen South was held by the Conservatives,^[4] while Roxburgh and Berwickshire fell to the Liberal candidate Archy Kirkwood.^[5]

Sproat returned to Parliament nine years later, moving to England and succeeding Sir Julian Ridsdale as MP for Harwich in the 1992 general election.^[6][7] He served as Minister for Sport in John Major's government from 1993 to 1997, but at the 1997 general election he was defeated by the Labour candidate Ivan Henderson.^[8] Sproat stood again in Harwich at the 2001 election, but Henderson was returned with an increased majority.^[8]

Sproat did not contest the 2005 general election, when Douglas Carswell regained the seat for the Conservatives.

Outside Parliament

A lifelong cricket fan, he was founder publisher of the Cricketers' Who's Who (Green Umbrella) which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009. In 1979 he married Judith Mary Kernot, who survived him.

A tireless campaigner to clear the name of his literary hero, P.G. Wodehouse, he single-handedly secured Wodehouse's knighthood in 1975 and later wrote 'Wodehouse at War' (pub Milner & Co. Ltd. 1981) proving the author's innocence.

References

1. "Daily Telegraph Obituary - Iain Sproat". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
2. "Historical list of MPs: constituencies beginning with "A", part 1". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
3. "UK General Election results 1970, part 1". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
4. "UK General Election results 1983, part 1". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
5. "UK General Election results 1983, part 17". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
6. "UK General Election results 1992, part 10". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
7. "Historical list of MPs: constituencies beginning with "H", part 1". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
8. "UK General Election results 1997 and 2001, Harwich". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 8 January 2010.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Iain Sproat