John Beckett (politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Beckett
Beckett in 1929
Member of Parliament for Gateshead
In office 29 October 1924 – 10 May 1929
Preceded by	John Purcell Dickie
Succeeded by	James Melville
Member of Parliament for Peckham
In office 30 May 1929 – 7 October 1931
Preceded by	Hugh Dalton
Succeeded by	Viscount Borodale
Personal details
Born	John Warburton Beckett 11 October 1894 London, England
Died	28 December 1964 (aged 70) London, England
Political party	Independent Labour Party, British Union of Fascists, National Socialist League, British People's Party
Children	Francis Beckett
Occupation	soldier, politician

John Warburton Beckett (born October 11, 1894 – died December 28, 1964) was a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Labour Party from 1924 to 1931. Later, in the 1930s, he joined a political movement called fascism. He was part of the British Union of Fascists and helped start the National Socialist League. During World War II, he was held in Britain by the government.

Early Life and Education

John Beckett was born in Hammersmith, London. His father, William Beckett, was a draper, which means he sold cloth. His mother, Dorothy, changed her religion to marry his father. John was first named Jack William Beckett. He changed his name to John Warburton Beckett in 1918.

He went to Latymer Upper School until he was 14 years old. His father lost all his money in a bad financial scheme. Because of this, John had to leave school and work as an errand boy. When First World War began, he joined the army. He was part of the Middlesex Regiment and then the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. In 1916, he had to leave the army because of a heart problem.

Starting a Political Career

After the war, in 1918, Beckett started the National Union of Ex-Servicemen. This group aimed to help soldiers who had returned from the war. It later became part of the Royal British Legion. Around this time, he also joined the Independent Labour Party. He served on the Hackney Council from 1919 to 1922.

Beckett first tried to become a Member of Parliament in 1923. He did not win that election. However, in 1924, he became the Labour MP for Gateshead. In 1929, he moved to represent Peckham. He also worked as a whip for the Independent Labour Party. A whip helps make sure party members vote in a certain way.

During these early years, Beckett was a close friend of Clement Attlee. Attlee later became Prime Minister. In 1930, Beckett became well-known for an unusual event. During a debate in the British House of Commons, he picked up the Ceremonial mace. The mace is a symbol of authority in Parliament. It had to be taken from him at the door.

Beckett was known for giving powerful and exciting speeches. He disagreed with Ramsay MacDonald forming the National Government in 1931. He then returned to the Independent Labour Party. He lost his seat in Parliament that year. After this, he visited Italy. He was interested in the political system there, called the corporate state.

Joining the Fascist Movement

In 1934, John Beckett joined the British Union of Fascists (BUF). He quickly became an important leader in the party. He was in charge of publications and edited the BUF newspapers, Action and Blackshirt. He was arrested outside Buckingham Palace during the Edward VIII abdication crisis.

Beckett also won a legal case against a group that opposed the fascists. He was awarded money because they had said untrue things about him. However, the group closed down before he could collect the money. When he returned to Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne in 1934 for speeches, many people disagreed with his views. Large, angry crowds gathered, calling him a "Traitor." He even had to cancel one speech because about 1,000 people rushed the stage.

The BUF started to have problems and split into different groups. In 1937, Oswald Mosley, the leader of the BUF, removed Beckett from his paid job. This was partly because the party had less money. Beckett soon started a new political group called the National Socialist League with William Joyce. However, Beckett left this group in 1938. He became unhappy with Hitler and felt that Joyce was expressing views that were too extreme.

Beckett also worked with other right-wing groups. He helped start a journal called The New Pioneer. This journal often shared views that were not widely accepted. In 1939, he became the Secretary of the British People's Party (BPP). This new party was led by Lord Tavistock. When World War II started, Beckett became secretary of a group that wanted a quick peace agreement.

During Second World War, Beckett was one of the leading figures held by the government. This was done under a rule called Defence Regulation 18b. He was held in HM Prison Brixton and on the Isle of Man. He was moved several times because he had arguments with other BUF members who were also held there. While in prison, Beckett learned about the Catholic faith and became a Catholic. He was released from prison before the war ended because he was not well.

After the War

After the war, John Beckett and his wife were watched by the intelligence agency MI5 for many years. They tracked his movements and recorded his phone calls. Beckett found a job at a hospital, but he was secretly fired because of MI5. He found it hard to get a regular job. The only work he could find was running the British People's Party, which was funded by the Duke of Bedford.

Beckett's first main role after the war was to campaign for William Joyce, also known as Lord Haw-Haw. Joyce was facing the death penalty for treason. Beckett wanted him to be pardoned, but the campaign was not successful, and Joyce was executed. In 1946, Beckett worked with a young man named Colin Jordan. He gave Jordan a place on the BPP national council. However, this partnership did not last long.

In 1953, the Duke of Bedford died. Since he had funded the BPP, the party closed down, and Beckett lost his income. The new Duke of Bedford did not share his father's political views. He tried to make Beckett leave his home on the family's land. Beckett then started a magazine about the stock exchange called Advice and Information. In 1958, he was able to buy the house where he lived from the Duke's family.

In 1962, Beckett sold his house and moved back to London. In 1963, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He passed away the following year, on December 28, 1964. He was cremated.

Personal Life

John Beckett's family came from Cheshire. His mother was the daughter of a Jewish jeweller. Her family did not attend her wedding because she changed her religion. While in the army, Beckett met Helen Shaw and married her very quickly.

His second wife was Kyrle Bellew, an actress. Their marriage did not last long, but Bellew refused to divorce Beckett even though they lived apart for 18 years.

He later lived with Anne Cutmore. Their son, Francis Beckett, was born in 1945. John and Anne married in 1963. Anne Cutmore had worked as a secretary at the BUF headquarters for a time.