Emrys Hughes
Emrys Hughes (10 July 1894 – 18 October 1969) was a British Labour politician, best known for being the biographer and son-in-law of Keir Hardie, the Scottish Labour politician.
Hughes was born in Tonypandy, Wales, the son of the Reverend J. R. Hughes. He was educated at Abercynon Council School, Mountain Ash Secondary School and City of Leeds Training College, and became a teacher by profession. In the First World War he was imprisoned as a conscientious objector. In 1924, he married Nan Hardie, the daughter of Keir Hardie. He also became editor of the socialist journal Forward. In the late 1930s, Forward was one of the few left-wing publications to criticise the Moscow Trials.[1]
On 7 February 1946 Hughes stood in the South Ayrshire (Scotland) by-election, following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Alexander Sloan. He was elected as the constituency's Member of Parliament, and re-elected in the general elections of 1950, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, and 1966. A left-winger, he was frequently at odds with the leadership of the Labour Party and twice had the whip withdrawn, between November 1954 and April 1955 (over German rearmament), and between March 1961 and May 1963 (over nuclear weapons). However, his Constituency Labour Party always backed him in his clashes with the leadership.[2]
In 1952, Hughes caused further controversy by calling for a reducing of the civil list payments to the British Royal Family. During the debate, Hughes identified himself as an anti-monarchist and "a republican, like President Eisenhower".[3]
On 14 July 1966, Gwynfor Evans (Plaid Cymru) won Carmarthen from Labour in a by-election. As a fellow pacifist and member of the Peace Pledge Union, he was shown around the House of Commons by Emrys Hughes; on pointing out the Welsh table in the Commons' tea room, Hughes warned him, "You’d better not sit there, your name’s mud among that lot."[4]
Selected works
- Winston Churchill. British Bulldog: His Career in War and Peace, Exposition Books, 1955. ASIN:B0006ATSO8 (first published in 1950)
- Keir Hardie, Allen & Unwin, 1956. ASIN:B0006DBKFK
- Emrys Hughes, M.P. on POLARIS and the ARMS RACE, Housmans, 1961. ASIN:B003Z94NXI
- Harold Macmillan : Portrait of a Politician, Allen & Unwin, 1962. ISBN 978-0-04-923013-2
- Sir Alec Douglas Home. Modern Conservative, Housmans, 1964. ASIN: B002A6S6OE
- Sydney Silverman – Rebel in Parliament, C Skilton, 1969. ASIN:B001KIB9T2
References
- ↑ Robert J. Alexander, International Trotskyism, 1929–1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement. Duke University Press, 1991 ISBN 082231066X (p. 451)
- ↑ H.M. Drucker Breakaway: The Scottish Labour Party
- ↑ Kingsley Martin, The Crown And The Establishment.London, Hutchinson (p.137-39)
- ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1579591,00.html
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Emrys Hughes
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tom Johnston |
Editor of Forward 1931–1948 |
Succeeded by George Thomson |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Alexander Sloan |
Member of Parliament for South Ayrshire 1946–1969 |
Succeeded by Jim Sillars |