Anthony Wedgwood Benn

Anthony Wedgwood Benn (Tony Benn), 1925-, British politician, b. London. After working for the British Broadcasting Corporation (1949-50), he was elected a Labour member of Parliament in 1950. He tried unsuccessfully to disclaim his title, Viscount Stangate, which he inherited in 1960, in order to keep his seat in the House of Commons. He was largely responsible for the passage of the Peerage Act (1963), which allowed peers to renounce their titles and run for a seat in the Commons. In Harold Wilson's first Labour government he served as postmaster general (1964-66) and minister of technology (1966-70). In the 1974 Wilson government he was secretary for industry (1974-75) and secretary for energy (1975-79). After 1979 he led the left wing of the party, advocating unilateral nuclear disarmament, withdrawal from NATO and the European Community (now the European Union), and further nationalization of industry. His policies have had an increasingly narrow following, particularly with the inability of the Labour party to mount an effective challenge to the Conservatives in the 1980s. In 1988 he unsuccessfully challenged Neil Kinnock for the party leadership. The selection of Tony Blair as Labour leader amounted to a repudiation of Benn's wing of the party. Benn retired from Parliament in 2001. Benn's writings include Regeneration of Britain (1965), The New Politics (1970), Out of the Wilderness (1987), Office without Power (1988), and Against The Tide (1989).

Benn, Anthony Neil Wedgwood, (former 2nd Viscount Stansgate) ( ‘Tony’ Benn) (b. 3 Apr. 1925). British Labour politician Born in London, educated at Westminster and Oxford. He served in the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm in 1943–6, and entered Parliament in 1950 as a Labour MP for Bristol South-East. He became close to Anthony Crosland, a leading intellectual on the right of the Labour Party. In 1960, however, he inherited his father's viscountcy, and had to resign from the House of Commons. After a high-profile campaign, he eventually managed to secure passage of legislation allowing him to renounce his title in 1963, whereupon he returned to the Commons. Under Harold Wilson, he was Postmaster-General (1964–6), and Minister of Technology (1966–70), when he was closely involved in projects such as the Concorde aeroplane. When Labour returned to power in 1974, he held the portfolios of industry (1974–5) and energy (1975–9). His experience of these posts, and the offices he had held in the 1960s, made him move to the left of the Labour Party, partly because of a belief that civil servants, rather than elected ministers, were running the country. In opposition from 1979, he emerged as the leading left-winger in the party, supporting policies such as the extension of nationalization, British withdrawal from membership of the EU, and unilateral nuclear disarmament. His influence declined from 1983, following Kinnock's election as party leader. He retired from Parliament in 2001, but remained a prominent figure, mainly owing to his undoubted integrity, his debating skills, and his popularity among the grass roots.

Benn, Tony ( Anthony Neil Wedgwood) (1925– ) British politician. Elected to Parliament in 1950, in 1963 Benn disclaimed an inherited peerage in order to remain a member of the House of Commons. He served as minister of technology (1966–70), secretary for industry (1974–75), and secretary for energy (1975–79). A committed pacifist, he was a leading spokesman on the left wing of the Labour Party.