Stanley Evans facts for kids

Stanley Norman Evans was a British businessman and politician. He was born in 1898 and passed away in 1970. He worked for the government as an Agriculture Minister for a short time. He had to leave his job because he said farmers were getting too much special help. Later, during a big event called the Suez Crisis, he disagreed with his own political party. He supported the other side, which made his local party ask him to leave Parliament.

Early Life and War Service

Stanley Evans grew up in Birmingham, England. After school, he first worked for an accounting company. In 1915, he joined the army and fought in the First World War. He served in France and Belgium and left the army in 1919.

Business Career

After the war, Evans returned to the West Midlands area of England. He started his own company, Stanley N. Evans (Birmingham) Ltd. This company supplied sand to factories that made metal parts. These factories, called foundries, used the sand to create moulds for shaping hot metal.

Evans was also involved in publishing. He was the Chairman of a company called Town Crier Publishing Society Ltd. During the Second World War, he helped organize road transport for the government.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 1945, Stanley Evans was chosen to be a candidate for the Labour Party in the area of Wednesbury. He was elected to Parliament easily in the 1945 general election.

In his first speech in Parliament, Evans talked about the United Nations Charter. He believed in rebuilding after the war. He also spoke out against unfair business practices by some large companies. He disagreed with the Anglo-American loan and the Bretton Woods agreement, which were important financial deals after the war.

Views on Key Issues

Evans was a strong supporter of economic planning. He believed in the hard work of ordinary people. He also had strong opinions about other countries. He did not trust the Soviet Union and criticized their actions in Europe.

He also had a say in a big debate about whether to stop the death penalty. Evans believed it should stay because he felt most people supported it. He also strongly supported the government's plan to take control of the steel industry. This was a very important and debated decision at the time. Because of his business background, Evans helped review the law for nationalizing steel.

Time as a Minister

Evans was re-elected in 1950. After this, he was given a job as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food. This meant he helped run the Ministry of Food.

Just two weeks into his new job, Evans said that Britain should not "cosset" (meaning pamper or spoil) any group of people. He felt the Ministry should represent ordinary families. He later clarified that these were his personal thoughts.

A Difficult Start

Evans had a tough first day speaking in the House of Commons. He made a statement about sugar deals with other countries. Many Members of Parliament felt that some countries had been treated badly. Another senior minister had to step in to help Evans.

Resignation from the Ministry

Evans then made a controversial statement about farmers. He suggested that farmers were being "featherbedded," meaning they were getting too much special treatment and money. Farmers' unions quickly disagreed with him. Because of this, the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, asked Evans to resign. Evans left his job after only six weeks.

Even after leaving his post, Evans stood by his opinions. He continued to defend his views on agriculture in Parliament.

Parliamentary Activities

After leaving the Ministry of Food, Evans remained active in Parliament. He opposed opening a funfair on Sundays, saying it would upset many people. He also traveled a lot as part of parliamentary groups, visiting countries like Hungary and the Soviet Union. He also led a group to parts of Africa and Malta.

In 1953, he disagreed with his own party on the idea of a Central African Federation. He believed it would help the economy in Africa. He also cautiously supported allowing Germany to rearm, thinking it would help protect against the Soviet Union.

Views on America

In 1956, Evans was involved in two debates concerning the United States. First, he questioned the sale of a British oil company to an American one. Second, he claimed that the U.S. was treating British shipping unfairly. When the Suez Crisis began, Evans criticized America for not supporting Britain more.

The Suez Crisis and Resignation

As the Suez Crisis became more serious, Evans asked Prime Minister Anthony Eden to wait for Parliament to discuss military action. When a vote of confidence was held on November 1, 1956, Evans did not vote with his party. He was the only Labour Member of Parliament to do this, but he was not punished.

Leaving Parliament

However, Evans's support for the Suez invasion caused problems in his local area. Many local groups were very unhappy with his actions. The Wednesbury Labour Party held a meeting and voted for Evans to resign his seat in Parliament. A few days later, Evans agreed to resign. He also left the Labour Party. He said that once military action had started, it was wrong to divide Parliament while fighting was happening.

Some of his supporters asked him to run for election again as an Independent candidate. But Evans refused. He said he would not do anything to embarrass his friends in the Labour Party.

Later Life

Stanley Evans kept his decision to leave politics. He passed away from cancer in 1970 at the age of 72.