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Christopher Price (politician)

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Christopher Price
Member of Parliament
for Lewisham West
In office
28 February 1974 – 13 May 1983
Preceded byJohn Gummer
Succeeded byJohn Maples
Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Perry Barr
In office
31 March 1966 – 29 May 1970
Preceded byWyndham Davies
Succeeded byJoseph Kinsey
Personal details
Born(1932-01-26)26 January 1932
Leeds, United Kingdom
Died20 February 2015(2015-02-20) (aged 83)
London, United Kingdom
Political partyLabour
Spouse
Annie Grierson Ross
(m. 1956)
Children3
RelativesHelen Jackson (sister)

Christopher Price (26 January 1932 – 20 February 2015) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.

Early life

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Price was educated at Leeds Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford where he was secretary of the Labour Club in 1953. He initially pursued a teaching career and by 1962 was Senior Classics Master at Ecclesfield Grammar School when he was elected as a councillor to the Sheffield City Council. He became deputy chairman of the education committee from 1963 (Albert Ballard was the chairman) and was instrumental in Sheffield's decision, fully implemented by 1969, in favour of comprehensive education.[1]

Parliamentary career

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Price contested Shipley in 1964. He was Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr from 1966 to 1970, during which time, from 1966 to 1967, he served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Anthony Crosland.[2] He was MP for Lewisham West from February 1974 to 1983, when he lost to the Conservative John Maples. In the House of Commons he served as Chairman of the Education Select Committee.

Price was also a Member of the European Parliament from 1977 to 1978.

After Parliament

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After leaving parliament, Price was Director of Leeds Polytechnic - later becoming Vice-Chancellor of the polytechnic's successor body, Leeds Metropolitan University. He was a founder member of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

Price was the Chairman of the New Statesman between 1994 and 1995.[3]

Price was interviewed in 2012 as part of The History of Parliament's oral history project.[4][5]

Personal life

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His sister, Helen Jackson, was the Labour MP for Sheffield Hillsborough from 1992 to 2005.[6]

Price married Annie Grierson Ross, a nurse, in 1956. They had three children; one daughter and two sons. He died on 20 February 2015,[6] aged 83.

References

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  1. ^ Cornwell, John (2005). King Ted's. King Edward VII School, Sheffield. ISBN 0-9526484-1-5
  2. ^ Leonard, Dick, ed. Crosland and New Labour – p.xi (1999, Palgrave Macmillan) ISBN 0-333-73990-6
  3. ^ "Christopher Price, Labour MP - obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Oral history: PRICE, Christopher (1932-2015)". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Sir Christopher Price interviewed by Emmeline Ledgerwood". British Library Sound Archive. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b Tam Dalyell (24 February 2015). "Christopher Price: Energetic MP who despite his combative nature was liked and admired both by colleagues and opponents". The Independent.
  • Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966 and 1983
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr
19661970
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Lewisham West
February 19741983
Succeeded by