David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 26 October 1983 – 14 November 2020 Life peerage |
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| Member of Parliament for Swindon |
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| In office 18 June 1970 – 13 May 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Christopher Ward |
| Succeeded by | Simon Coombs |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Leonard Stoddart
4 May 1926 |
| Died | 14 November 2020 (aged 94) |
| Political party |
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| Spouse |
Jennifer Percival-Alwyn
(m. 1961) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education |
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David Leonard Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon (born May 4, 1926 – died November 14, 2020) was a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Swindon from 1970 to 1983. Later, he became a life peer in the House of Lords, serving from 1983 until his death in 2020. He was part of the Labour Party for most of his career.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Leonard Stoddart was born on May 4, 1926. His parents were Arthur and Queenie Stoddart. He went to school at St Clement Danes Holborn Estate Grammar School for Boys. He also studied at Henley Grammar School.
Political Career
Stoddart joined the Labour Party in 1947. He became a member of the County Borough Council of Reading in 1954. He was the leader of this council from 1967 to 1972.
He tried to become an MP for Newbury in 1959 and 1964. In 1969, he narrowly lost an election in Swindon.
In 1970, Stoddart was elected as the Labour MP for Swindon. He served in this role until 1983. In the 1983 election, he lost his seat to Simon Coombs from the Conservative Party. During his time as an MP, he worked as a government whip from 1975 to 1978. A whip helps make sure party members vote in a certain way.
House of Lords
After leaving the House of Commons, David Stoddart became a life peer on September 14, 1983. This means he was given the title Baron Stoddart of Swindon and could sit in the House of Lords. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament. He was a main speaker on energy issues from 1983 to 1988. He also served as a whip in the House of Lords during this time.
In 2002, he was removed from the Labour group in the House of Lords. This happened because he supported a different candidate in the 2001 general election. He did this because he disagreed with the Labour Party's choice of candidate for a specific area.
For many years, Stoddart was the Chairman of the Campaign for an Independent Britain. This group wanted the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. He held this position from 1985 until May 2007.
Personal Life
David Stoddart married Jennifer Percival-Alwyn in 1961. They had two sons together. He also had a daughter from an earlier marriage.
Death
David Stoddart passed away on November 14, 2020. He was 94 years old and died after a short illness.
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