James Wellbeloved
Alfred James Wellbeloved (29 July 1926 – 10 September 2012)[1] was a British politician.
Wellbeloved was educated at South London Technical College and was a commercial and industrial correspondent. He served as a councillor on Erith Borough Council from 1956, and was the first leader of the London Borough of Bexley from 1964.[1]
Wellbeloved was elected Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Erith and Crayford at a 1965 by-election following the death of Norman Dodds, whose constituency chairman he had been.[1]
He served successively as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Defence Minister Gerry Reynolds and Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart, and was also a junior defence minister in the Callaghan government.[1]
In 1981, he was among the Labour MPs who defected to the Social Democratic Party. At the 1983 general election, he lost his seat by just 920 votes to the Conservative David Evennett.[1]
After his defection, he was referred to as "the inappropriately named Wellbeloved" by then Labour leader Michael Foot. Wellbeloved subsequently rejoined the Labour Party as a member.
Wellbeloved married Mavis Ratcliff in 1948.[1]
Wellbeloved died in September 2012 aged 86.
References
- Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966 & 1983
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Norman Dodds |
Member of Parliament for Erith and Crayford 1965–1983 |
Succeeded by David Evennett |