Colin Pickthall

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Colin Pickthall (born 13 September 1944) in Dalton-in-Furness (then Lancashire, now Cumbria) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour Member of Parliament for Lancashire West. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1992, and retired in 2005.

Pickthall's father was a shipyard fitter. He attended Ulverston Grammar School, University of Wales, obtaining a B.A. Hons. English Literature and History. He then went on to the University of Lancaster, where he obtained an M.A. with the thesis "The Influence of Socialism on 20th. Century British Poetry." He became a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Labour Party in 1963.

He married a Canadian, Judith Ann in 1973; they have two daughters, Alisoun and Jenny. He initially worked as an English lecturer in the Ruffwood Comprehensive School and Edge Hill College of H.E. (where he became the Head of European Studies)

In 1987 Pickthall ran for Parliament in West Lancashire, but lost to a Conservative by 1353 votes. Later, in 1989, he won the Ormskirk seat on Lancashire County Council by a very small margin. However, this was sufficient for the Labour Party to take control of the County Council by one seat.

In 1992, he took the West Lancashire parliamentary seat and in the following elections, in 1997 and 2001, he retained the seat with a substantial majority. In 1992 he became a member of the Select Committee on Agriculture, a post that he maintained until 1997. In 1997 he was appointed parliamentary private secretary to Alun Michael, later serving Jack Straw. However, he had to resign in 2000 over a police investigation of his election expenses. Since the police did not find anything wrong, he was later reinstated. In 2001 he was transferred to the Foreign Office, also under Jack Straw.

Pickthall is considered a leftist, frequently campaigning about animal welfare (he is opposed to hare coursing and hunting) and environmental issues. Strangely, he is also opposed to wind turbines. He retired from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election. He currently serves as a Labour Party Branch secretary and chair, and a Constituency Labour Party Chairman.

Colin Pickthall is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.