John Belcher (politician) facts for kids

John William Belcher (born 2 August 1905 – died 26 October 1964) was a British politician from the Labour Party. He worked as a trade minister in the government led by Clement Attlee after the Second World War. In February 1949, John Belcher resigned from his government and Parliament jobs. This happened after an investigation found that he had used his position as a minister to give special favors in return for small gifts.

Belcher used to be a railway clerk before becoming a politician. He was elected to Parliament in the 1945 general election. He was one of the first new politicians from that election to get a government job. As a minister, he wanted to build good relationships with businesses. He believed that even if he chose his friends unwisely, his actions were not truly corrupt. After leaving Parliament, he went back to his old job working for the railways. He passed away in 1964.

John Belcher's Early Life

John Belcher was born on 5 August 1905 in Kensington, London. His father, John Thomas Belcher, sometimes worked for the postal service. His mother was Lillie Harriett. John went to Brackenbury Road elementary school. At age 11, he won a scholarship to Latymer Upper School. He studied there until 1921.

After school, he found a job as a clerk at the Great Western Railway goods depot in Smithfield. He joined the Railway Clerks' Association (RCA). By 1929, he was the secretary for his local branch of the union.

Union Work and Education

John Belcher was very active in union work during the 1930s. He held several roles within the RCA. He also started an economics study group for his fellow clerks. This group was part of the Workers' Educational Association. He took classes at London University as an outside student. In 1934, he earned a diploma in economics and social sciences.

He got married in 1927, and they had three children. When the war started in 1939, John was not called to serve. This was because he had long-term health problems. During the war, he worked for the Ministry of Information. He gave lectures and helped with administration.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In July 1945, the Labour Party won the General Election. Clement Attlee became the Prime Minister. John Belcher was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Sowerby. He won the seat from his Conservative opponent. He had a large lead of 6,933 votes.

John entered Parliament with many hopeful ideas. His daughter later wrote that he had seen how much people suffered in the 1930s. He was eager to make things better. He started his time in Parliament quietly. He gave his first speech on 12 December 1945. He spoke about a proposed loan from America.

Junior Minister Role

On 12 January 1946, John Belcher was given a government job. He became a junior minister at the Board of Trade. He was one of the first new MPs from the 1945 election to be promoted. His main job was to manage the system of controls and licenses. These were important for the British economy after the war.

Belcher was a hardworking and well-liked minister. He wanted to earn the trust of businesses. He tried to be fair when applying the rules. He started an "open door" policy. This meant he met directly with many important business leaders. His heavy workload affected his health. By mid-1947, he was very stressed. In May 1948, he had to go to the hospital for several weeks.

Meeting Sidney Stanley

John Belcher's open approach meant he met many people. Some of these people wanted to influence his decisions. One person who met him was Sidney Stanley. Stanley was also known by other names like Kohsyzcky. He had been declared bankrupt and had avoided being sent out of the country in 1933.

Stanley reappeared in 1945. By 1947, he was living in a fancy apartment in Park Lane. He often hosted business people there. He worked as a business agent. He claimed he could help businesses by using his connections with government officials and ministers. Important business people took him seriously.

Stanley was introduced to Belcher by George Gibson. Gibson was a respected union leader who had become a director of the Bank of England. Belcher easily believed Stanley's claims. He thought Stanley could connect businesses with the government. They became friends. Belcher later said Stanley was "interesting, amusing, generous."

Gifts and Favors

During their friendship, Stanley often gave gifts to Belcher. These included hospitality and various presents. Many in the Labour Party thought it was wrong for ministers to accept any gifts. However, Belcher had a more relaxed view. Stanley used this attitude to his advantage.

The gifts were not very large. They included a suit, a gold cigarette case, and a week's hotel stay in Margate. Belcher saw nothing wrong with accepting them. He thought they were just friendly gestures. He believed they would not affect his decisions. He later admitted this attitude was "inadequate."

Stanley was not the only one giving gifts. A distiller named Sir Maurice Bloch gave Belcher many bottles of wine, sherry, and whiskey. These were rare and valuable items at the time. Bloch was looking for licenses to import barrels. Belcher later approved these licenses.

The Lynskey Investigation

In the summer of 1948, rumors started about possible improper actions at the Board of Trade. The police began an investigation. On 27 October, Prime Minister Attlee suggested setting up a special investigation. This was done under a law from 1921.

The Home Secretary, James Chuter Ede, appointed a High Court judge, Sir George Lynskey, to lead the investigation. Two senior lawyers helped him. Belcher was asked to take time off from his government duties during the investigation.

The goal of the investigation was to find facts, not to assign blame. Hearings began on 15 November 1948 and lasted until 21 December. Sixty witnesses gave their statements. Much of the public interest focused on the relationship between Belcher and Stanley. Stanley spoke for over fifteen hours.

Testimony and Findings

There were claims that Belcher and his wife had received regular cash payments. However, no proof was given for these claims. Even though the investigation was supposed to be neutral, Belcher faced tough questions. The government's top lawyer, Sir Hartley Shawcross, questioned him very strongly.

Despite this, many agreed that Belcher answered questions honestly. He admitted his friendship with Stanley. He insisted he had not been corrupted. But he now realized it was wrong to accept gifts. Shawcross also questioned Mrs. Belcher about her personal money. This experience was very upsetting for her. Her daughter said she never fully recovered.

The investigation's report was released on 21 January 1949. It rejected most of the accusations against Belcher. It cleared all other ministers except George Gibson. The report said Gibson had sought personal gain from his dealings with Stanley.

The report was very critical of Stanley. It said he would say anything, true or false, if he thought it would help him. The report concluded that Belcher had been improperly influenced by accepting gifts. This was especially true for a decision to drop a case against a football pools promoter. Belcher said he was "surprised and grieved" by these findings.

Belcher's Resignation

On 13 December 1948, while the hearings were still happening, Belcher officially resigned from his ministerial job. He had planned to stay as an MP for Sowerby. After the report came out, his local party group planned to decide his future. They would meet on 26 February, and Belcher would explain his side.

However, after thinking more, he decided his position was impossible. He chose to resign his seat in Parliament right away. On 3 February 1949, when the report was discussed in Parliament, he made an emotional statement. He announced he would immediately resign from the House of Commons. This is done by taking a special job called the Chiltern Hundreds.

He criticized parts of the investigation and some newspapers. He insisted he had not acted improperly. He said, "I have not at any time in the course of my official duties been conscious of any deviation from the path of morality or rectitude." He added that even if he was foolish, he tried to do what was right. He ended by saying his faith in his cause was stronger than ever.

Parliament's Reaction

Prime Minister Attlee said Belcher had "spoken with dignity and courage." Herbert Morrison said everyone felt "deep regret, deep sorrow and deep understanding" as Belcher left the Chamber. Most speakers showed sympathy for Belcher. However, the Conservative MP Quintin Hogg said he would have supported expelling Belcher if he hadn't resigned. The House of Commons accepted the report without a vote.

Later Life and Legacy

After leaving Parliament, John Belcher wrote a series of newspaper articles. These were published in the Sunday Express from February to March 1949. He shared his side of the story. Then he disappeared from public life.

He went back to working for the railways as a ticket clerk. But his health was poor and kept getting worse. At one point, he faced possible legal action for not paying taxes. His former boss, Harold Wilson, helped him. He retired early from the railways in 1963. John Belcher died at Chase Farm hospital in Enfield, on 26 October 1964. He was 59 years old. This was just after the General Election that brought Labour back to power under Wilson.

Remembering John Belcher

In the Parliament debate on 3 February 1949, Attlee said that public service in Britain had very high standards. Many of Belcher's friends and colleagues were upset. They felt a working-class minister had been unfairly treated.

Years later, Belcher's family received many letters of support. In the 1990s, his daughters visited his old constituency. They found that older party members still remembered him fondly. They believed he would have been re-elected if he had been allowed to run again.

One historian described Belcher as "a bright, idealistic, working-class socialist." He was treated harshly for trying to build good relationships with businesses. He became a symbol of the strict rules for public conduct during that time.