John Grant (British politician) facts for kids

John Douglas Grant (born 16 October 1932 – died 29 September 2000) was a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom parliament. He served from 1970 to 1983. John Grant was first part of the Labour Party. In 1981, he joined the new Social Democratic Party (SDP). He represented areas in London called Islington East and Islington Central.

John Grant's Early Life and Career

John Grant was born in Finsbury Park, North London. He went to the Stationers' Company's School in Hornsey. After school, he started working as a journalist.

He wrote for several local newspapers first. In 1955, he got a job at the Daily Express. There, he wrote about trade unions. By 1967, he became the Chief Industrial Correspondent. This meant he was the main reporter on industry and workers' unions.

John Grant's Time in Parliament

John Grant was interested in politics while working as a journalist. He tried to become a Labour MP for Beckenham in the 1966 General Election. He did not win that election.

However, in the 1970 General Election, he was chosen for a safe Labour seat. This was Islington East. He was easily elected to Parliament.

Becoming a Minister

John Grant quickly became known as a skilled MP. He was especially good at understanding trade union matters. This was because of his many years as a journalist. He also knew many trade union leaders personally.

Grant served as a minister in the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. He was first a Parliamentary Secretary. Then, he became a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Overseas Development. In 1976, Grant moved to the Department of Employment. He was praised for his work helping disabled people.

Joining the SDP

Even though he was a Labour MP, John Grant started to feel uncomfortable with the party. His local party in Islington had many disagreements. In late 1981, after thinking about it a lot, he left the Labour Party. He then joined the new Social Democratic Party (SDP).

After joining the SDP, Grant quickly faced a disagreement. This was about a new law called the Tebbit Bill. Most SDP MPs wanted to vote for the bill. They wanted to show they were different from Labour.

However, John Grant and some other new SDP members did not like the bill. They thought it would harm relationships between workers and bosses. Grant voted against his party's decision. This showed some disagreement within the SDP.

Losing His Seat

Later, the areas MPs represented in Islington changed. John Grant's seat, Islington Central, was removed. He decided to run for the new Islington North seat. He was chosen over another MP, Michael O'Halloran.

However, Michael O'Halloran left the SDP and ran against Grant as an independent. This split the votes for Grant. In the election, Grant finished third. He lost to the Labour candidate, Jeremy Corbyn.

Life After Parliament

After losing his seat in Parliament, John Grant became the head of communications. He worked for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union (EETPU). In 1987, he ran for Parliament again for the SDP. He came in second place.

Grant was part of the team that discussed joining the SDP and the Liberal Party. But he resigned because he was frustrated. He felt the Liberals were not ready to aim for power.

Returning to Labour

Later, John Grant returned to the Labour Party. This happened when Tony Blair and the "New Labour" movement became popular. Grant became a strong supporter of cancer research. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He greatly influenced Tony Blair's promise to increase funding for cancer research. This promise was made at the Labour Party Conference in 2000. Just over a week after this announcement, John Grant died from cancer in 2000. He was 67 years old.

John Grant also wrote two books during his life:

• Member of Parliament, published in 1974
• Blood Brothers, published in 1992