JIM MARSHALL (UK POLITICIAN)

'Jim Marshall' (13 March 1941 – 27 May 2004) was a British Labour Party politician.

Contents

Education

Politics

Personal life and death

External links

Education

Marshall was born into a working class family in the Attercliffe district of Sheffield. He was educated at Sheffield Grammar School and the University of Leeds, gaining a PhD and working as a research scientist at the Wool Industries Research Association. He was a councillor in Leeds from 1965.

Politics

In 1968 he became a lecturer at Leicester Polytechnic, and in 1971 he was elected to Leicester City Council, becoming leader of the council in 1973. In the February general election of 1974 he contested the constituency of Leicester South, and unseated the Conservative MP, Tom Boardman, in the October election that year. He held the seat until his death, with the exception of the period 1983-1987, when he lost the seat to the Conservatives by seven votes. During his time out of parliament, he worked as a supply teacher and market trader:building up a stronger, more community oriented reputation.
Marshall was an assistant whip between 1977 and the end of James Callaghan's government in 1979. In opposition, he was assistant home affairs spokesman from 1982 to 1983, and deputy shadow spokesman on Northern Ireland from 1987 to 1992. In 1992 he voted for Bryan Gould, seen as the leftwing candidate in the leadership election which followed the resignation of Neil Kinnock. The victorious candidate, John Smith, dispensed with Marshall's services, and Marshall's support for Margaret Beckett in the following leadership election did not endear him to Tony Blair. Increasingly out of step with the mainstream of the Labour Party, he concentrated on constituency matters, and rebelled against Blair's government on many occasions, chiefly on matters relating to immigration and education. His constituency work, especially on immigration and benefit problems, won him strong personal support among local voters. Labour party chairman Ian McCartney described him as "a hard-working and dedicated member of parliament who spoke up for his Leicester constituents and did a great deal to help to transform their communities and the opportunities open to them." [1]

Personal life and death

Marshall was married twice, and had a son and daughter from his first marriage.
Marshall died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack, precipitating a by-election dominated by the invasion of Iraq (which he had opposed).

External links

★ Guardian Obituary

★ Voting record