John Belcher (politician)

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John William Belcher (2 August 1905 – 26 Oct 1964) was a British Labour Party politician.

A railway clerk, he was sponsored as a candidate at the 1945 general election by the Railway Clerks' Association. He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sowerby constituency in West Yorkshire, defeating the sitting Conservative MP Malcolm McCorquodale.

In 1946, he was appointed to a junior ministerial post in the government of Clement Attlee, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. In 1949, he resigned from government and from Parliament. He was the first Labour politician to resign over questions of propriety, after accepting a suit, a cigarette case and holiday in Margate, alongside entertainment at various sporting events. An enquiry concluded that he and some of his officials were not corrupt, but had exerted undue influence, in exchange for these gifts, to secure the withdrawal of a prosecution against a football pool promoter.^{[citation needed]}

There is no right of appeal against a tribunal and John Belcher therefore immediately resigned. In his farewell speech to the House of Commons, he said " I have not at any time in the course of my official duties been conscious of any deviation from the path of morality or rectitude. When the tumult and shouting have died, when the Tribunal and its Report have faded out of the memories of most people, I shall still have to live with my conscience because in my conscience lies the whole truth." The Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, said "The whole House is conscious of the terrible tragedy which has overtaken him. He has spoken with dignity and courage."^{[citation needed]}

Belcher returned to work as a railway clerk, later becoming an Assistant Goods Agent. He suffered ill health and died in 1964 at the age of 59 years.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Malcolm McCorquodale	Member of Parliament for Sowerby 1945–1949	Succeeded by Douglas Houghton
Political offices
Preceded by Ellis Smith	Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade 1946–1949	Succeeded by John Edwards

[edit] References

• Single or Return - the official history of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association

This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.