Dennis Skinner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dennis Skinner
Skinner in 2011
Honorary President of the Socialist Campaign Group
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2020
Preceded by	Office established
Member of Parliament for Bolsover
In office 18 June 1970 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Harold Neal
Succeeded by	Mark Fletcher
Chair of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party
In office 7 October 1988 – 6 October 1989
Leader	Neil Kinnock
Preceded by	Neil Kinnock
Succeeded by	Jo Richardson
President of the Derbyshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers
In office June 1966 – 25 June 1970
Preceded by	Herbert Parkin
Succeeded by	Raymond Ellis (1972)
Alderman on Clay Cross Urban District Council
In office 1962–1970
Personal details
Born	Dennis Edward Skinner (1932-02-11) 11 February 1932 (age 93) Clay Cross, Derbyshire, England
Political party	Labour
Other political affiliations	Socialist Campaign Group (1982–present)
Spouse	Mary Parker ​ ​ (m. 1960; separated 1989)​
Domestic partner	Lois Blasenheim
Children	3
Alma mater	Ruskin College
Profession	Miner, politician
Signature
Nickname	Beast of Bolsover

Dennis Edward Skinner (born 11 February 1932) is a British former politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolsover for 49 years. He served from 1970 to 2019.

Dennis Skinner was a member of the Labour Party. He is known for his strong left-wing beliefs. Before becoming an MP, he worked as a coal miner for over 20 years.

People often called him the "Beast of Bolsover." He was part of a group of Labour MPs called the Socialist Campaign Group. He was also a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party for 30 years. He even chaired the committee from 1988 to 1989.

Skinner was one of the longest-serving members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was also the Labour MP who served the longest without a break. He always believed the UK should not be part of the European Union. He voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum.

In 2019, Dennis Skinner lost his seat in Parliament to Mark Fletcher. This was a big change for the Bolsover area.

During his time in Parliament, Skinner was suspended many times. This usually happened because he used strong language when arguing with other politicians. He was also famous for making jokes and comments when Black Rod arrived during the State Opening of Parliament.

Early Life and Work

Dennis Skinner was born in Clay Cross, Derbyshire. He was the third of nine children. His father, Edward Skinner, was a coal miner. His mother, Lucy, worked as a cleaner.

When he was 10, Dennis won a scholarship to Tupton Hall Grammar School. In 1949, he started working as a coal miner at Parkhouse colliery. He worked there until it closed in 1962. After that, he worked at Glapwell colliery.

In 1964, at age 32, he became the youngest president of the Derbyshire region of the National Union of Mineworkers. After 20 years as a miner, he became a local councillor in the 1960s. In 1967, he studied at Ruskin College.

Parliamentary Career (1970–2019)

Skinner in 1992

Dennis Skinner joined the Labour Party in 1956. He was chosen to run for Parliament in Bolsover in 1969. He won the election in 1970 and became the MP for Bolsover. He kept this seat for 49 years.

He was known as the "Beast of Bolsover" because of his strong way of speaking. He once said he got the nickname after a debate about a former Prime Minister. He spoke about miners and their hard lives, which made some other politicians upset.

In Parliament, when Labour was not in power, Skinner usually sat in a special front-row seat. This seat was known as the 'Awkward Squad Bench'. It was where Labour MPs who sometimes disagreed with their party leaders would sit. He often wore a tweed jacket and his special red tie. When Labour was in power (from 1997 to 2010), he sat in a similar spot on the government side.

In 1979, Skinner helped to show that Anthony Blunt was a spy for the Soviet Union. He asked questions in Parliament that led to the truth coming out.

In 1985, Skinner helped stop a bill that would have banned stem cell research. He did this by using a special parliamentary rule. He later said this was one of his proudest moments.

In 2003, Skinner was one of the Labour MPs who voted against the Iraq War. He also voted against allowing terror suspects to be held without trial for a long time. In 2007, he voted against renewing the Trident Nuclear Missile System.

In 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron joked about Skinner, calling him "a dinosaur." Cameron said people could see a dinosaur in the House of Commons instead of going to a museum. Many Labour MPs thought this was rude and about Skinner's age.

In 2014, Skinner was a main speaker at a rally for miners. This event marked 30 years since the big miners' strike.

Skinner was one of the longest-serving MPs. He was the oldest sitting MP from 2017. However, he lost his seat in the 2019 general election. Bolsover had been a very safe Labour seat, but over time, the number of people voting Labour there went down.

Views

Skinner in 2011

Skinner strongly supported the National Union of Mineworkers and their leader Arthur Scargill during the 1984–85 miners' strike. He even gave his parliamentary wages to the miners' union during the strike. He also refused to earn more than a miner's wage.

When Labour leader John Smith died in 1994, Skinner gave a tribute. He said that Smith would have been a great Prime Minister. He also said the best way to honor Smith would be to pass a law to help disabled people.

Skinner at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

In 2000, Skinner criticized Ken Livingstone, another Labour MP. Livingstone decided to run for Mayor of London as an independent candidate after not being chosen by the Labour Party. Skinner said Livingstone had betrayed his supporters.

Even though Skinner had strong left-wing views, he had a good relationship with Prime Minister Tony Blair for a long time. Skinner had given Blair advice on public speaking. In 2018, he even called the time when Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were in charge a "golden period" for the National Health Service (NHS). However, in 2019, Skinner strongly criticized Blair for telling people to vote for other parties.

Skinner supported Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour leadership election. He also voted with Corbyn against extending airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.

Skinner voted for the UK to leave the European Union in 2016. He also believes that the House of Lords (the second chamber of Parliament) should be completely removed.

Suspensions from Parliament

Dennis Skinner was suspended from Parliament at least 10 times. This usually happened because he used "unparliamentary language." This means using words that are not allowed in Parliament because they are rude or insulting. Here are some examples:

• In 1984, he called Margaret Thatcher dishonest and another politician a "pompous sod."
• In 1992, he called a government minister "a little squirt" and "a slimy wart."
• In 1995, he accused the government of a "crooked deal" when selling off coal mines.
• In 2016, he called Prime Minister David Cameron "Dodgy Dave" during a debate about the Panama Papers. When asked to take back the word "dodgy," he refused and was told to leave Parliament for the rest of the day.

Queen's Speech Jokes

Skinner was known for making jokes during the annual State Opening of Parliament. This ceremony happens when Black Rod comes to the House of Commons to ask MPs to listen to the Queen's speech in the House of Lords. Skinner, who did not support the monarchy, would often shout out a funny comment. Here are some of his famous lines:

After Parliament (2019–present)

After leaving Parliament, Dennis Skinner continued to be involved in politics. In 2020, he supported Richard Burgon to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

On 6 May 2020, Skinner was named the honorary president of the Socialist Campaign Group.

Personal Life

In 1960, Dennis Skinner married Mary Parker. They separated in 1989. He has three children and four grandchildren. Since the 1990s, his partner has been Lois Blasenheim.

Skinner signing a copy of his book in October 2014

In 2014, Skinner wrote his autobiography called Sailing Close to the Wind: Reminiscences. In an interview that year, he said he had never sent an email or used Twitter.

Skinner has faced some health challenges. In 1999, he had surgery for bladder cancer. In 2003, he had a double heart bypass operation. In 2019, he had hip surgery. He was too unwell to campaign in the 2019 election because of an infection after his hip operation. He was not there when the election results were announced and he lost his seat.

Skinner's mother had Alzheimer's disease before she passed away. He used to sing to her, and she could remember old songs. Since 2008, he has visited care homes in Derbyshire to sing to elderly patients with dementia.

Dennis Skinner is a fan of Derby County Football Club and Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Images for kids

• 

  Skinner in 2011

• 

  Dennis Skinner's signature

See also

In Spanish: Dennis Skinner para niños