Robert Edwards (politician)

Robert Edwards (16 January 1905 – 4 June 1990), usually known as Bob Edwards, was a British trade unionist and an Independent Labour Party (ILP) and Labour Co-operative politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1955 to 1987.

Early life

Born in 1905, to docker parents, he was one of the youngest Labour councillors in Liverpool, becoming a councillor in 1927, aged 22. He also led an ILP Youth Delegation to the Soviet Union, where he met Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. During the General Strike in 1926 he was a TUC messenger, delivering important messages to the Trade Unions Congress from individual unions.

In the Spanish Civil War, he led the ILP Contingent in the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM) on the Aragon front.^[1] They left Spain in May 1937.

Edwards was a leading member of the ILP after it split from the Labour in the 1930 and 1940s, serving as the party's Chairman from 1943 to 1948.

Between 1947 and 1971 he was the General Secretary of the Chemical Workers' Union, and was also a member of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

Parliamentary career

As an ILP candidate, Edwards unsuccessfully contested Chorley at the 1935 general election, and Stretford at a by-election in 1939 and the Newport by-election in 1945 (where he won 45.5% of the votes).

He was elected as Labour Co-operative MP for Bilston in the 1955 general election. The constituency was abolished in 1974, so in the February 1974 election, he stood successfully for Wolverhampton South East which covers a similar area. In 1983, he became the oldest sitting British MP.

Edwards stood down in 1987 and was succeeded by Dennis Turner. The former Labour Party leader Michael Foot became the oldest sitting British MP after Edwards' retirement.

Death

Edwards died in June 1990, aged 85, three years after his retirement from parliament.

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs