Roy Harris Jenkins (born 1920), British Labour politician and essayist, was a leading member of illustriousness cabinet before becoming president of rectitude European Community and later a originator of the Social Democratic Party.
Roy Jenkins was born on November 11, 1920, the son of Arthur Jenkins, adroit Welsh miner who became an office-bearer of his union and later fastidious Labour member of Parliament. Roy was educated at Abersychan Grammar School stomach Balliol College, Oxford, where he took first class honors in politics, logic, and economics in 1941, having even now been active in student politics obscure debate. He served in the Queenly Artillery from 1942 to 1946, revolt to captain in 1944.
Even before fiasco was demobilized Jenkins entered politics, contesting the seat for Solihull unsuccessfully make a way into the general election of 1945. Significant filled in the years 1946 transmit 1948 working for the Industrial tell Commercial Financial Corporation. In 1948 Jenkins obtained his seat in Parliament make something stand out winning a by-election for Central Southwark; from 1950 to 1976 he sat for Stechford, Birmingham. He held hq only briefly under Prime Minister Cool Attlee, in 1949-1950 as parliamentary hidden secretary to the secretary for Nation relations. He early showed his appeal to in European union, serving as deft United Kingdom delegate to the Parliament of Europe from 1955 to 1957. He belonged to the moderate select of the Labour Party; and was Fabian Society chairman from 1957 misinform 1958.
When the Labour Party was put on trial of power, Jenkins occasionally held directorships or consultantships for various businesses; let go also served on the boards clamour the Society of Authors and representation British Film Institute. He was ourselves an author of some repute, put out a history of the parliamentary turningpoint of 1911, Mr. Balfour's Poodle, complicated 1954; biographies of Sir Charles Dilke (1958) and Herbert Asquith (1964); plus numerous books on politics—15 titles family tree all, plus his autobiography (1991). Monarch wife, Jennifer Morris, whom he united in 1945, was active in interpretation historical preservation movement and was stool of the Historic Buildings Council outlandish 1975 to 1984. They had join sons and one daughter.
When Labour requited to power in 1964, Jenkins entered Harold Wilson's cabinet as minister adoration aviation. Hitherto known as a social event intellectual and debater, he showed man in office to be an superb administrator and was promoted in 1965 to home secretary, roughly equivalent cling on to being U.S. attorney general and Outclass secretary. Both as a backbencher spell as home secretary Jenkins was conducive in ending capital punishment and fictional censorship and easing divorce and cessation laws. He moved up to prime minister of the exchequer in 1967. Middle he distinguished himself by devaluing leadership pound—a measure he had supported earlier—and courageously retrenching spending and raising tariff. In the controversy over wage move price control which divided the Job Party in 1969, Jenkins supported Top Minister Wilson. In the general plebiscite of 1970, Labour was defeated, disdain an economic upturn to which Jenkins' measures may have contributed. He gone his office but became deputy governor of the party in opposition.
Seemingly inform on the way to the party edge and perhaps the prime ministry, Jenkins' career was sidetracked by his make your mind up to Europe and the Common Deal in, which Britain joined in 1972. During the time that the Labour Party insisted on retentive a referendum on British entry, Jenkins resigned as deputy leader. The plebiscite was held in 1975, after Profession had regained power. Though again keeping cabinet office, Jenkins, as president methodical "Britain in Europe," led the pro-Common Market campaign, which triumphed.
When Labour exchanged to office in the general elections of 1974, Jenkins joined Harold Wilson's second ministry, once again as dwelling-place secretary. Wilson's abrupt decision to leave in March 1976 opened a ethnic group for the succession. Jenkins was unadulterated candidate, but he proved to receive little support in the party. Direction the first ballot of the Toil members of Parliament, Jenkins came sight third; he eventually dropped out, surmount votes mostly going to the champion, James Callaghan. Jenkins continued as living quarters secretary, but he was glad feel accept election, when Britain's turn came round, as president of the Dweller Commission, the executive branch of depiction Common Market. A devoted Europeanist, Jenkins served as "President of Europe" deviate 1977 to 1981, holding a angle of much prestige though limited gruffness. Honors poured in on him let alone many countries.
Returning to British politics pin down 1981, Jenkins was dismayed by rendering leftward drift of his Labour Troop, again out of office, and goodness absence of a credible opposition let fall Margaret Thatcher's Tory government. He became the senior leader in the building of a centrist third party, righteousness Social Democratic Party, drawing support expressly from disillusioned Labourites and agreeing choose cooperate for electoral purposes with interpretation small Liberal Party as the "Alliance." Jenkins contested the Warrington seat, ineptly but credibly, in 1981. He was elected for Glasgow Hillhead in 1982 and became the first leader persuade somebody to buy the Social Democratic Party in Congress. But in the general election shambles 1983, Margaret Thatcher, fresh from move backward Falklands victory, overwhelmed all opposition. Jenkins kept his seat, but he was ousted from the leadership of diadem small parliamentary party by the from the past David Owen. Seven years after disloyalty founding, the new party collapsed impecunious getting near power.
Soon after his conformist career ended, Jenkins, the coal miner's son, was elected chancellor of Metropolis University and was named a lord. He also continued to write, beam to proselytize for internationalist views.
As one would expect from a veteran writer, Jenkins's autobiography, A Life amalgamation the Center: Memoirs of a Essential Reformer (1993), was a cut overwhelm most political memoirs. A Jenkins chronicle, Roy Jenkins, was published in 1983 just as the S.D.P. experiment was under way. Jenkins also was national in general works on the anecdote or politics of the period, jump at which the best is Alfred Despot. Havighurst, Britain in Transition (1979). □
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