Ronald Henry Atkins (13 June 1916 – 30 December 2020) was a British Labour politician who served as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for Preston North for two terms: from

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo is ...

until

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and 1 ...

, and from February 1974 until

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. His career in British politics spanned nearly sixty years, from 1951 to 2010, including several decades as a councillor in local government, and nine as a Member of Parliament. A member of the

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nu ...

, Atkins took part in the

Aldermaston marches The Aldermaston marches were anti-nuclear weapons demonstrations in the 1950s and 1960s, taking place on Easter weekend between the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire, England, and London, over a distance of fifty-t ...

, opposed the

American war in Vietnam The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, and was a member of the Tribune group of left-wing Labour MPs. He also supported the campaigns by

Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British politician, writer and diarist who served as a Cabinet minister in the 1960s and 1970s. A member of the Labour Party, ...

and

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the pol ...

to lead the Labour Party. In the course of his career, Atkins helped bring a polytechnic educational facility to

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

, which later became the

University of Central Lancashire , mottoeng = "From the Earth to the Sun" , established = as Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledgere-established 1992 (University status granted) , type = Public , chancellor ...

(UCLan). From 2018 until his death, he was the oldest living former MP. He also became the longest-lived British MP with a registered date of birth, surviving to the age of 104.

Early life and career

Atkins was born into a large Noncomformist family on 13 June 1916 in

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

, Glamorgan, the son of Frank Atkins, a master butcher, and his wife Elizabeth (nee Bryant). He grew up on a

smallholding A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

, and was educated at

Barry Grammar School Barry Comprehensive School ( cy, Ysgol Gyfun y Barri) was a secondary school for boys aged 11–16, situated opposite Highlight Park in the town of Barry, in Wales. Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School was the partner girls' school that also provide ...

. Atkins suffered greatly from

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to complet ...

, which led him to start working rather than going to university. He attended

Southampton University , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

, but his studies were interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, as well as his condition. He tried to improve his health in order to enter the armed forces by eating a carrot-only diet for more than a month. Eventually, he volunteered for industrial war work as a chief greaser with a chemical company in Barry, where he organised the company's first

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

branch. The poverty he saw in the port town inspired him to join the Labour Party. He later said "I've been a union man and a socialist all my life." Atkins worked as a teacher from 1949 onwards. Having qualified as a teacher at

Birkbeck College , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £109 ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

, he taught at a college of further education. Atkins also became a tutor and lecturer for the

National Council of Labour Colleges The National Council of Labour Colleges (NCLC) was an organisation set up in the United Kingdom to foster independent working class education. The organisation was founded at a convention held in the Clarion Club House, Yardley, Birmingham on 8/9 ...

. He was head of English at

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011Braintree,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. Whilst in Essex, Atkins became a councillor on

Braintree Rural District Braintree Rural District was a rural district in the county of Essex, England. It was created in 1894. In 1934 the parish of Bocking was removed from the rural district and became part of the newly created Braintree and Bocking Urban Distri ...

Council, serving from 1952 to 1961. He was also on the Mid-Essex education committee of

Essex County Council Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...

Parliamentary career

In 2016, Atkins recalled "I became an applicant to become an MP, but I thought it was hopeless because I was so left wing." He first contested the marginal

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and so ...

seat at the

1964 general election The following elections occurred in 1964. Africa * 1964 Cameroonian parliamentary election * 1964 Central African Republic parliamentary election * 1964 Central African Republic presidential election * 1964 Dahomeyan general election * 1964 Gabo ...

, but was unsuccessful. The outcome saw his party return to government with a slim majority; however, the presence of a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

candidate in the

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

constituency (which had previously been a two-way contest) took votes from both Atkins and his

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

rival Jim Prior. Labour

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

called an election in

, and greatly increased his party's majority. Among the Labour gains was Atkins winning the marginal Preston North in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

, unseating the Conservative former minister

Julian Amery Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh, (27 March 1919 – 3 September 1996) was a British Conservative Party politician, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the P ...

. As a

, he lobbied Wilson for a new polytechnic institute of education in Preston, which lead to Preston Polytechnic being established in 1973; this, according to the ''Lancashire Post'', was "one of his proudest moments". Atkins also successfully campaigned to save the

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administ ...

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

, which was under threat of closure. During this period, he chaired the all-party retirement group, who fought for early retirement, in 1967 presenting a petition to Parliament for voluntary male retirement at 60, which was signed by more than a million people. He also supported Liberal MP

David Steel David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, (born 31 March 1938) is a British politician. Elected as Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, followed by Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale, he served as the final leade ...

's abortion bill, which did not go down well with Preston's large Catholic population. He thought this may have cost him his seat at the subsequent 1970 general election: Atkins lost to the Conservative candidate

Mary Holt Mary Holt (31 July 1924 – 17 February 2021) was a British Conservative politician and judge. Early life Holt was born in July 1924. She gained her degree, an MA LLB with honours, from Girton College, Cambridge. Career Holt was Member ...

, and Labour were out of power. Following this, he lectured at

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals ...

College of Further Education until 1974, a year which saw two general elections take place. At the February 1974 election, Atkins won back Preston North, defeating Mary Holt by a majority of just 255 votes (0.63%). Labour formed a minority government, and Atkins was back in Parliament. Harold Wilson called another election for October 1974, in the hope of securing a majority. Atkins was re-elected with an increased vote share, and Labour won the election with a small overall majority, on the back of a pledge to hold a referendum on Britain's recent entry to the European Economic Community (EEC). In common with the left of his party at the time, Atkins was opposed to membership of the EEC. The 1975 referendum, however, resulted in a wide margin of victory for the 'Yes' campaign. In 1976, Wilson stood down as prime minister, and in the resulting leadership election, Atkins helped organise left-winger

's campaign. At the time, the leadership was voted on solely by the

Parliamentary Labour Party In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the parliamentary group of the Labour Party in Parliament, i.e. Labour MPs as a collective body. Commentators on the British Constitution sometimes draw a distinction between the Labour ...

. Benn came fourth on the first ballot with 37 votes, and withdrew from the contest, which was won by the more moderate

Jim Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005), commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is ...

, who thus became prime minister. According to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', "Atkins never sought high political office and it was never offered – he settled for being a constituency MP." In 1979, following a

vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in the Labour government, another general election was held. The party lost on a decisive swing to the Conservatives, who won a comfortable majority. In a tight result which saw two recounts, Atkins was defeated by the (unrelated) Conservative candidate Robert Atkins, who won by just 29 votes (0.1%). Despite his name being mentioned in connection to winnable seats, Ronald Atkins did not stand for election to Parliament again.

Outside Parliament

In between his two terms in Parliament, Atkins stood for election to

Preston City Council Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

's Ward No. 5 (Preston: Ribbleton) in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

. He won a seat, serving until

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

, by which time he had returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. Following the loss of his parliamentary seat in 1979, Atkins stood for the Park ward in Preston, which he won comfortably. He supported Preston Polytechnic becoming Lancashire Polytechnic, which took place in 1984. His ward was abolished in boundary changes for the 1990 elections, and he instead stood in Avenham ward, which covered the central area of the town. The new boundaries meant that the whole council was up for election, rather than in thirds, as usually happened. In the multi-member ward, Atkins topped the poll, winning more votes than the two Labour candidates elected alongside him. In 1992, full university status was awarded to the Lancashire Polytechnic he had first lobbied for as Preston Polytechnic. That year, it became the University of Central Lancashire, which he had been "a powerful voice for". In

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

, the next set of boundary changes saw Atkins' ward abolished again, with him instead standing in the Town Centre ward, and receiving more votes than the two Labour candidates who were also elected. In 2006, a year which saw poor performances by Labour in the local elections, Atkins fended off a strong challenge from the

Respect Party The Respect Party was a left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left, Socialism, socialist political party active in the United Kingdom between 2004 and 2016. At the height of its success in 2007, the party had one Member of Par ...

to retain his seat by just seven votes. He remained a Labour councillor until

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, when he stood down; aged 93, he was the oldest member of the council. In August 2015, aged 99, during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership campaign, Atkins gave a speech introducing Corbyn at an event in Preston. Exclaiming "We love you!", he told the audience of several hundred people: "Jeremy Corbyn is not

New Labour New Labour was a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The name dates from a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen ...

he is ''Real'' Labour." (Atkins' daughter, Charlotte, had in fact been elected under the New Labour era of the party.) He was made Honorary President of

Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass ...

for Central Lancashire. Atkins voted to leave the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

(which had succeeded the EEC) in the 2016 referendum, later declaring: "It wasn't because of immigrants. The most important thing is our sovereignty."

Personal life and death

In 1950, Atkins married Jesse Scott; the union ended in divorce in 1979. The couple had three sons and two twin daughters, Charlotte and Liz. At the two 1974 general elections, Atkins' stepson, Michael Atkins, contested Blackpool South, and Michael's wife, Kathleen E. Knight, stood in Fylde South, both as unsuccessful Labour candidates. His daughter, Charlotte Atkins, was the Labour MP for

Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The ...

from 1997 until 2010. Atkins married his second wife, Elizabeth Alison Wildgoose in 2012, who was more than forty years his junior, shortly after she was elected to Ashton ward on Preston council. The couple lived in Frenchwood,

, with a dog, Rosie. His recreations were listed in ''Who's Who'' as "jazz, dancing, walking, local and national politics, connoisseur of good coffee"; he was an active

ballroom dancer Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

to late in life. Following the death of John Freeman on 20 December 2014, Atkins became the oldest surviving former MP. He celebrated his 100th birthday in June 2016, attributing his long life to "good genes, an active lifestyle, and wild Atlantic salmon" in his diet. Interviewed by the '' Lancashire Post'' to mark the occasion, he added there was "some luck too", noting, "I've escaped assassination as an MP." On 30 August 2018, Atkins became the longest-lived MP ever, surpassing Theodore Taylor's record. Atkins died at his home in Preston on 30 December 2020, at the age of 104. He was survived by Elizabeth, his daughters Charlotte and Liz, and his stepson Donald (from his first marriage). Upon his death, his widow Elizabeth, who was still a councillor, said "He was staunch Labour all his life and highly respected. He was a real guiding force; the Labour group in Preston called him 'the guru'."

References

*''Times Guide to the House of Commons 1979'' *

External links