Arthur Lewis (politician)

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Arthur William John Lewis (21 February 1917 - 25 June 1998) was a British Labour politician.

Lewis was educated at Borough Polytechnic and began work as a fitter with the City of London Corporation. He was an official of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1938-48. He signed the first trade union agreement with the catering industry and gained 20,000 new trade union members in the West End, London.

Lewis was Member of Parliament (MP) for Upton from 1945 to 1950, for West Ham North from 1950 to 1974, and then for Newham North West.

In 1983, after 38 years as an MP, Lewis was deselected as Labour candidate and replaced by future minister Tony Banks. Lewis decided to stand as an Independent Labour candidate, and came fourth with 11% of the vote while Banks won.

[edit] References

• Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1950, 1966 and 1983
• This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.