Joan Lestor: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|British politician}}

'''Joan Lestor''' (13 Nov 1931-27 Mar 1998) was a Labour MP in the UK House of Commons between 1966-83 and 1987-97. On 4th June 1997 she was created a life peer and took the title of [[Baroness Lestor of Eccles]].

{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]

|name = The Baroness Lestor of Eccles

|honorific-suffix =

|image = Joan Lestor, Baroness Lestor of Eccles.jpg

|office = [[Shadow Minister for Overseas Development]]

|leader = [[Tony Blair]]

|term_start = 20 October 1994

|term_end = 25 July 1996

|predecessor = [[Tom Clarke (politician)|Tom Clarke]]

|successor = [[Clare Short]]

|office1 = [[Department for Education|Shadow Spokesperson for Children and Families]]

|leader1 = [[Neil Kinnock]]<br>[[John Smith (Labour Party leader)|John Smith]]

|term_start1 = 2 November 1989

|term_end1 = 20 October 1994

|predecessor1 =

|successor1 =

|order2 = [[National Executive Committee (Labour Party)|Chair of the Labour Party]]

|leader2 = [[James Callaghan]]

|term_start2 = 7 October 1977

|term_end2 = 6 October 1978

|predecessor2 = [[John Chalmers (trade unionist)|John Chalmers]]

|successor2 = [[Frank Allaun]]

|office3 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br> for [[Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)|Eccles]]

|term_start3 = 11 June 1987

|term_end3 = 8 April 1997

|predecessor3 = [[Lewis Carter-Jones]]

|successor3 = [[Ian Stewart (Labour politician)|Ian Stewart]]

|office4 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br> for [[Eton and Slough]]

|term_start4 = 31 March 1966

|term_end4 = 13 May 1983

|predecessor4 = [[Sir Anthony Meyer, 3rd Baronet|Anthony Meyer]]

|successor4 = ''Constituency abolished''

|birth_date = {{birth date|1927|11|13|df=yes}}

|birth_place = [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada

|death_date = {{death date and age|1998|3|27|1927|11|13|df=yes}}

|death_place = London, England

|party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]

|otherparty = [[Socialist Party of Great Britain|Socialist Party]]

|spouse =

|alma_mater = [[University of London]]

|religion =

|website =

}}

'''Joan Lestor, Baroness Lestor of Eccles''' (13 November 1927<ref name = ODNB>{{cite ODNB|title = Lestor, Joan, Baroness Lestor of Eccles (1927–1998), politician|last = Adams|first = Jad|authorlink = Jad Adams|date = 2004|doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/69528}}</ref><ref name = GRO>{{cite web|url = https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp#Results|title = LESTOR, JOAN 1927 GRO Reference: DOR Q1/1998 in LAMBETH (2411D) Reg D57 Entry Number 103|website = [[General Register Office]]|accessdate = 10 October 2024|url-access = limited}}</ref>{{efn|name = DOB|Some contemporary news sources report as 1931.}} – 27 March 1998) was a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician. She was MP for Eton and Slough between 1966 and 1983, and MP for Eccles from 1987 to 1997.

==Early life==

She represented [[Eton and Slough (UK Parliament constituency)|Eton and Slough]] during her first period in Parliament.

Lestor was born in [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada, in 1927.<ref name = ODNB/><ref name = GRO/> She grew up in the United Kingdom from the age of five.<ref name = ODNB/> She was educated at [[Blaenavon]] Secondary School, [[Monmouth]]; William Morris High School, [[Walthamstow]] and the [[University of London]].<ref name = ODNB/> She became a nursery school teacher and a member of the [[Socialist Party of Great Britain]], but resigned from the latter over the [[Turner Controversy]]. She became a councillor in 1958 on the [[Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth]] and later the [[London Borough of Wandsworth]]. She served on [[London County Council]], losing in [[Lewisham West (London County Council constituency)|Lewisham West]] at the [[1961 London County Council election|1961 election]], but winning a by-election to represent [[Wandsworth Central (London County Council constituency)|Wandsworth Central]] from 1962 until 1964.<ref name="Independent_1998">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-baroness-lestor-of-eccles-1153447.html |title=Obituary: Baroness Lestor of Eccles |work=The Independent |last=Dalyell |first=Tam |date=29 March 1998 |accessdate=28 June 2023}}</ref>

==Parliamentary career==

After boundary changes in 1993, Miss Lestor contested the new constituency of [[Slough (UK Parliament constituency)|Slough]]. She was defeated by the Conservative candidate [[John Watts]].

Lestor contested [[Lewisham West (UK Parliament constituency)|Lewisham West]] in 1964 and was elected member of parliament for [[Eton and Slough]] in 1966.<ref name="Independent_1998" />

She was briefly a junior minister from 1969 to 1970 with responsibility for nursery education. In March 1974 she became the [[Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs|Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs]] and in June 1975 moved back to Education as Under-Secretary of State, for Education and Science. In March 1976 she resigned over cuts.<ref name="Independent_1998" />

'''Joan Lestor''' was MP for [[Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)|Eccles]] 1987-1997.

Lestor was one of the founding editors of anti-fascist monthly, ''Searchlight'', though that magazine had only a tenuous connection to the [[Searchlight (magazine)|current publication]].

{{rayment}}

After boundary changes in 1983, Lestor contested the new constituency of [[Slough (UK Parliament constituency)|Slough]] but was defeated by the Conservative candidate [[John Watts (British politician)|John Watts]]. [[Neil Kinnock]], who became leader of the Labour Party shortly after the election said he was "heartbroken" by Lestor's defeat.<ref name="GHeraldJune83">{{cite news|title=Home before midnight. Thatcher strolls back to Number 10|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19830610&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=25 February 2017|work=Glasgow Herald|date=10 June 1983|via=Google News}}</ref> Lestor blamed the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|SDP]] for her defeat.<ref name="Reid">{{cite news|last1=Reid|first1=Harry|title=Benn ousted after 33 years|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19830610&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=25 February 2017|work=Glasgow Herald|date=10 June 1983|via=Google News}}</ref> No longer an MP, Lestor worked for the [[World Development Movement]], campaigning for [[child welfare]] and setting up a unit to investigate [[child abuse]], including [[sexual abuse]], an area neglected by mainstream politicians at the time.<ref name = ODNB/>

[[Category:British MPs|Lestor, Joan]]

She was returned for [[Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)|Eccles]] in 1987, and held this seat until 1997.<ref name="Independent_1998" /> She served in the shadow cabinet between 1989 and 1996 firstly as Shadow Spokesperson for Children and Families and subsequently as [[Shadow Minister for Overseas Development]]. She resigned on 25 July 1996 after announcing that she was not seeking re-election at the next election.<ref name="NYT_1998">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/01/world/joan-lestor-66-a-crusader-in-britain-for-children-s-rights.html |title=Joan Lestor, 66, a Crusader in Britain for Children's Rights |work=The New York Times |last=Lyall |first=Sarah |date=1 April 1998 |accessdate=28 June 2023}}</ref>

{{UK-politician-stub}}

==House of Lords==

On 4 June 1997, Lestor was created a [[life peer]] as '''Baroness Lestor of Eccles''', of [[Tooting Bec]] in the [[London Borough of Wandsworth]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54793 |date=13 June 1997 |page=6907}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==

In 1952, Lestor married David McGregor, but they divorced soon afterwards.<ref name = ODNB/> In the late 1960s, Lestor adopted two children.<ref name = ODNB/> She died from [[motor neuron disease]] at the [[Royal Trinity Hospice]] in London on 27 March 1998.<ref name = ODNB/>

==Notes==

{{notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Hansard-contribs | miss-joan-lestor | Joan Lestor }}

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|uk}}

{{s-bef | before = [[Sir Anthony Meyer, 3rd Baronet|Anthony Meyer]] }}

{{s-ttl

| title = Member of Parliament for [[Eton and Slough]]

| years = [[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966]]–[[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]

}}

{{s-non | reason = Constituency abolished }}

{{succession box

| title = Member of Parliament for [[Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)|Eccles]]

| years = [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987]]–[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]

| before = [[Lewis Carter-Jones]]

| after = [[Ian Stewart (Labour politician)|Ian Stewart]]

}}

{{s-ppo}}

{{succession box|title=[[National Executive Committee (Labour Party)|Chair of the Labour Party]]|years=1977–1978|before=[[John Chalmers (trade unionist)|John Chalmers]]|after=[[Frank Allaun]]}}

{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lestor, Joan}}

[[Category:1927 births]]

[[Category:1998 deaths]]

[[Category:20th-century English women politicians]]

[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]

[[Category:Canadian emigrants to England]]

[[Category:Chairs of the Labour Party (UK)]]

[[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Wandsworth]]

[[Category:Deaths from motor neuron disease in the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies]]

[[Category:Government and politics of Slough]]

[[Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]

[[Category:Labour Party (UK) life peers|Lestor of Eccles]]

[[Category:Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II]]

[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]

[[Category:Members of London County Council]]

[[Category:Members of Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council]]

[[Category:Members of the Fabian Society]]

[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Berkshire]]

[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Greater Manchester]]

[[Category:Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970]]

[[Category:People from Slough]]

[[Category:Socialist Party of Great Britain members]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1966–1970]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1970–1974]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1974]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1974–1979]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1979–1983]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1992–1997]]

[[Category:Women councillors in England]]