Wilfrid Burke facts for kids

Wilfrid Andrew Burke (born November 23, 1889 – died July 18, 1968) was a British trade union leader and politician. He was an important member of the Labour Party and served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Burnley for 24 years. He also worked briefly in the government as Assistant Postmaster-General. After leaving the government, he focused on party work, even becoming the Chairman of the National Executive Committee.

Early Life and Union Work

Wilfrid Burke was born in Liverpool. He went to Oulton College there. He first trained and worked as a teacher for several years. In 1918, he moved to Manchester and started working in business. At the same time, he joined a trade union called the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers. This union later became the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.

Starting in Politics

In 1920, Burke became a union organizer for the Manchester area. His union branch was very large and supported him strongly. This support helped him get elected to the executive council of the Labour Party in Manchester. He also spent his free time campaigning for the party.

Burke tried to become an MP for Manchester Blackley in the 1924 election. He came in third place. He tried again in the 1929 election and the 1931 election, but he didn't win those elections either.

MP for Burnley

In October 1932, Burke was chosen to be the Labour Party candidate for Burnley. This area had been represented by a Labour leader before. Burke worked hard and won the election by a good number of votes.

Helping the Textile Industry

Burnley was a town known for its textile industry, which made cloth. When Burke became an MP, he focused on helping this industry. He joined a special committee looking at a law for the cotton spinning industry in 1936. He wanted textile workers, not just factory owners, to be part of the groups making decisions.

Burke also spoke about unemployment in Burnley. He believed that the government's actions were hurting the textile market in India, which led to more people losing their jobs in Burnley. He also pushed for new industries to be built in areas with high unemployment, rather than just in London. He always worked to keep trade strong with other countries for Lancashire textiles.

Working as a Whip

In 1941, Burke was chosen to be a Whip for the Labour Party. A whip's job is to make sure that members of their party vote together in Parliament. However, in February 1943, Burke voted against a government plan to delay an important report about social welfare. Because of this, he was replaced as a whip later that year.

Labour Party National Committee

In June 1943, Burke spoke at the Labour Party conference. He asked for a good amount of money for old age pensions, and his idea was accepted. From 1944, he was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. This is a very important committee that helps run the party. He also traveled to other countries as a representative for the Labour Party.

Assistant Postmaster-General

Burke was easily re-elected in the 1945 election. On August 10, 1945, the new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, appointed him as Assistant Postmaster-General. In this role, Burke was the main spokesperson for the Post Office in the House of Commons.

His main job was to help the Royal Mail and the General Post Office (which included the telephone system) return to normal after the war. This meant bringing back services that had been stopped to help with the war effort. In March 1946, Burke announced new plans to make the service better. He also helped make sure that a company called Cable & Wireless was included in the government's plan to take over some industries. This meant the government would own and run them.

In spring 1946, Burke announced that the BBC would start broadcasting radio shows in Russian. He left his government job in October 1947.

Party Work and Leadership

Even after leaving his government role, Burke remained a member of the National Executive Committee. He sometimes disagreed with some of the government's new laws. For example, in December 1948, he opposed a bill about licensing.

In October 1950, Burke was very popular in the trade union section of the Labour Party National Executive. He became the chairman of a special committee on Commonwealth and Imperial affairs in November 1952. He was then elected as the overall chairman of the National Executive at the end of September 1953.

As chairman, Burke gave a Party Political Broadcast in January 1954. He said that large companies should put their profits back into the company to help it grow. He also looked into problems within the Labour Party in Liverpool Exchange.

Retirement

Burke left the National Executive Committee in 1956. He also announced that he would not stand for Parliament again in the next election. In December 1958, he presented a petition from Burnley and other Lancashire towns. This petition asked the government for more help for the cotton trade, as people in Burnley were feeling very worried.

Wilfrid Burke left Parliament at the 1959 election. He passed away nine years later.