Ben Ford (politician)
Benjamin Thomas Ford DL (born 1 April 1925), known as Ben Ford, is a British Labour politician who was the Member of Parliament for Bradford North from 1964 to 1983.[1]
Early years[edit]
Born to parents Benjamin Charles Ford and May Ethel (née Moorton),[1] Ford's address at the time of his birth was 67 Haberdasher Street, Shoreditch, County of London. He moved to Streatham, SW16 in 1927. Ford attended Rowan Road Central School in Surrey.[1] From 1951 to 1964, he worked as an electronic fitter-wireman.[1]
Political career[edit]
Ford was councillor on Clacton Urban District Council from 1959 to 1962, and an alderman of Essex County Council from 1959 to 1965.[1] Ford was election agent for Harwich in 1959, and president of that Constituency Labour Party from 1955 to 1963.[1]
He was elected Labour Party Member of Parliament for Bradford North at the 1964 general election.[1] Whilst an MP, he served as chairman of the All-Party Wool and Textile Group of MPs and was a founder member of The Manifesto Group (an alliance of Labour parliamentarians opposed to the party's perceived move to the left).[2] In 1982, he was deselected as the Labour candidate in favour of Pat Wall, and subsequently stood at the 1983 general election as an independent Labour candidate.[1] Ford polled 9% of the vote, which arguably split Labour support and helped the Conservative candidate Geoffrey Lawler to win. By the early 1990s, Ford had joined the Liberal Democrats.
Honours[edit]
In 1979, Ford was made a Freeman of the City of London. From 1978 to 1999, he was a Liveryman of the Gunmakers' Company. In 1982, he became a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. He became an Honorary Fellow of the Association of International Accountants in 1983. In 1976, he was made a Grand Officer of the Order of the Southern Cross in Brazil.[1]
Personal life[edit]
He married Vera Ada (née Fawcett-Fancet) in 1950, with whom he had three children: Anthony, Paula and Ivan. Outside of politics, he lists his recreations as music, shooting, family and reading. He lives in Bramhope, Leeds, and is a member of East Ward Labour Club in Bradford.[1]
Publications[edit]
- Piecework, 1960[1]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Ben Ford
- Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966 & 1983
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
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