Neil Kinnock

Neil Kinnock is a British politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1992. He represented the Welsh valleys constituencies of Bedwellty and later Ishwyn in the House of Commons for 25 years. Although he led his party to defeat in the 1987 and 1992 general elections, he is widely credited with modernising the party and laying the groundwork for its eventual victory under Tony Blair.

Early life and education

Neil Gordon Kinnock was born in 1942 in the town of Tredegar in the historic county of Monmouthshire. He was raised in a Labour-supporting, working-class household, with his father working as a coal miner and his mother as a district nurse. He attended Lewis School, Pengam, a grammar school in Bargoed, where he became head boy. Kinnock then studied industrial relations and history at University College, Cardiff, where he became heavily involved in student politics, serving as president of the Students' Union and joining the University Labour Club.

Political career

Elected as the Member of Parliament for Bedwellty in the 1970 general election, he quickly became a prominent figure on the party's left. He served as parliamentary private secretary to Michael Foot and was a vocal critic of the EEC during the 1975 referendum. Following Labour's defeat in the 1979 election, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education by new leader Michael Foot, a role in which he strongly opposed the policies of Education Secretary Sir Keith Joseph.

Leadership of the Labour Party

Elected party leader in 1983 following Labour's heavy defeat in that year's general election, he embarked on a major project to reform the party. This involved confronting the Militant tendency, a Trotskyist entryist group, culminating in the expulsion of prominent members like Derek Hatton from Liverpool City Council. He also initiated the Policy Review to move the party towards the political centre, distancing it from policies like unilateral nuclear disarmament and extensive nationalisation. Despite a spirited campaign, he lost the 1987 election to Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives. His leadership reached its climax in the 1992 election, where a narrow defeat to John Major's government led to his resignation.

Post-parliamentary career

After leaving the House of Commons in 1995, Kinnock was appointed a European Commissioner by Prime Minister Tony Blair. He served as the European Commissioner for Transport from 1995 to 1999 and then as European Commissioner for Administrative Reform from 1999 to 2004, working under Presidents Jacques Santer and Romano Prodi. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2005, becoming Baron Kinnock of Bedwellty in the County of Gwent. He has since served as Chairman of the British Council and remains an active commentator on British and European politics.

Personal life

He married teacher Glenys Parry in 1967, who later became a Member of the European Parliament and served as Minister of State for Europe in the government of Gordon Brown. They have two children: their son, Stephen Kinnock, is the MP for Aberavon, and their daughter, Rachel, is a journalist. A passionate supporter of Welsh rugby union, he was appointed President of Cardiff University in 2009 and has received numerous honorary degrees from institutions including the University of Wales and the University of Bath.

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:Leaders of the Labour Party (UK) Category:Members of the House of Lords