Dr Colin Barry Phipps (23 July 1934 – 10 January 2009) was a British petroleum geologist and formerly a Labour Party politician.
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He was born in Swansea.
He attended Townfield Elementary School in Hayes, Middlesex, then Acton County Grammar School, and the Bishop Gore School, Swansea. From University College London he gained a BSc in Geology in 1955, then gained a PhD in Geology from the University of Birmingham in 1957.
He stood unsuccessfully in the Walthamstow East by-election in March 1969 and lost decisively.
Phipps served as Member of Parliament for Dudley West from February 1974 to 1979, when he stood down. Being involved in the oil industry made him one of the more wealthy Labour MPs. He joined the Social Democratic Party in the 1980s, and unsuccessfully stood for election in Worcester at the 1983 general election, and Stafford in 1987.
From 1957-64 he worked with Shell in Venezuela, the Netherlands and the USA. In 1964, well before North Sea Oil was established or even known about, he left Shell and became an independent geology consultant until 1979 (and during his time as an MP) when he founded Clyde Petroleum in 1973, being Chief Executive from 1979-83 and Chairman from 1983-95. Clyde had many involvements in North Sea oil. From 1989-2002 he was Chairman of Greenwich Resources, a gold mining company. He was Chairman of the English String Orchestra (and was also involved with the English Symphony Orchestra) and Falklands Conservation from 1990-2.
In 1996 he founded Desire Petroleum, staying Chairman until he died in 2009. Although he visited the Falkland Islands in 1975, he was not hopeful about oil prospects in the area until 2004, when a seismic survey of the geology showed considerable quantities of oil.
Phipps died on January 10, 2009 in a Birmingham hospital.[1] He married Marion Lawrey in 1965 and they had two sons and two daughters. He owned a 195-acre (0.79 km2) farm in Worcestershire.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Dudley West Feb. 1974–1979 |
Succeeded by John Blackburn |