John Silkin
British left-wing Labour politician and solicitor (1923-1987)
title: "John Silkin" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1923-births", "1987-deaths", "agriculture-ministers-of-the-united-kingdom", "alumni-of-the-university-of-wales", "alumni-of-trinity-hall,-cambridge", "european-democratic-socialists", "english-jews", "english-people-of-lithuanian-jewish-descent", "labour-party-(uk)-mps-for-english-constituencies", "members-of-the-privy-council-of-the-united-kingdom", "members-of-st-marylebone-metropolitan-borough-council", "people-educated-at-dulwich-college", "royal-naval-volunteer-reserve-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "royal-navy-officers-of-world-war-ii", "treasurers-of-the-household", "uk-mps-1983–1987", "uk-mps-1959–1964", "uk-mps-1964–1966", "uk-mps-1966–1970", "uk-mps-1970–1974", "uk-mps-1974", "uk-mps-1974–1979", "uk-mps-1979–1983", "younger-sons-of-barons", "jewish-british-politicians", "ministers-in-the-wilson-governments,-1964–1970"] description: "British left-wing Labour politician and solicitor (1923-1987)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Silkin" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British left-wing Labour politician and solicitor (1923-1987) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| honorific-prefix | The Right Honourable |
| name | John Silkin |
| image | John Silkin.png |
| caption | Silkin in 1979 |
| office | Shadow Secretary of State for Defence |
| term_start | 24 November 1981 |
| term_end | 26 October 1984 |
| leader | Michael Foot |
| Neil Kinnock | |
| predecessor | Brynmor John |
| successor | Denzil Davies |
| office1 | Shadow Leader of the House of Commons |
| term_start1 | 8 December 1980 |
| term_end1 | 30 October 1983 |
| leader1 | Michael Foot |
| predecessor1 | Michael Foot |
| successor1 | Peter Shore |
| office2 | Shadow Secretary of State for Industry |
| term_start2 | 14 July 1979 |
| term_end2 | 8 December 1980 |
| leader2 | Jim Callaghan |
| predecessor2 | Eric Varley |
| successor2 | Stanley Orme |
| office3 | Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
| term_start3 | 10 September 1976 |
| term_end3 | 4 May 1979 |
| primeminister3 | Jim Callaghan |
| predecessor3 | Fred Peart |
| successor3 | Peter Walker |
| office4 | Minister of State for Local Government and Planning |
| term_start4 | 7 March 1974 |
| term_end4 | 10 September 1976 |
| primeminister4 | Harold Wilson |
| Jim Callaghan | |
| predecessor4 | Graham Page (Local Government and Development) |
| successor4 | Position abolished |
| office5 | Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Services |
| term_start5 | 24 March 1972 |
| term_end5 | 5 March 1974 |
| leader5 | Harold Wilson |
| predecessor5 | Barbara Castle |
| successor5 | Keith Joseph |
| office6 | Minister of Public Buildings and Works |
| term_start6 | 30 April 1969 |
| term_end6 | 19 June 1970 |
| primeminister6 | Harold Wilson |
| predecessor6 | Bob Mellish |
| successor6 | Julian Amery |
| office7 | Government Chief Whip in the House of CommonsParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury |
| term_start7 | 4 July 1966 |
| term_end7 | 30 April 1969 |
| deputy7 | George Lawson (1966–67)Charles Grey (1967–69) |
| primeminister7 | Harold Wilson |
| predecessor7 | Edward Short |
| successor7 | Bob Mellish |
| office8 | Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of CommonsTreasurer of the Household |
| term_start8 | 11 April 1966 |
| term_end8 | 4 July 1966 |
| primeminister8 | Harold Wilson |
| predecessor8 | Sydney Irving |
| successor8 | George Lawson (Deputy) |
| Charles Grey (Treasurer) | |
| office9 | Member of Parliament |
| for Lewisham Deptford | |
| Deptford (1963–1974) | |
| term_start9 | 4 July 1963 |
| term_end9 | 26 April 1987 |
| predecessor9 | Leslie Plummer |
| successor9 | Joan Ruddock |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | London, England |
| death_date | |
| death_place | London, England |
| party | Labour |
| spouse | |
| alma_mater | University of Wales |
| Trinity Hall, Cambridge | |
| :: |
|honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable |name = John Silkin |honorific-suffix = |image = John Silkin.png |caption = Silkin in 1979 |office = Shadow Secretary of State for Defence |term_start = 24 November 1981 |term_end = 26 October 1984 |leader = Michael Foot Neil Kinnock |predecessor = Brynmor John |successor = Denzil Davies |office1 = Shadow Leader of the House of Commons |term_start1 = 8 December 1980 |term_end1 = 30 October 1983 |leader1 = Michael Foot |predecessor1 = Michael Foot |successor1 = Peter Shore |office2 = Shadow Secretary of State for Industry |term_start2 = 14 July 1979 |term_end2 = 8 December 1980 |leader2 = Jim Callaghan |predecessor2 = Eric Varley |successor2 = Stanley Orme |office3 = Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |term_start3 = 10 September 1976 |term_end3 = 4 May 1979 |primeminister3 = Jim Callaghan |predecessor3 = Fred Peart |successor3 = Peter Walker |office4 = Minister of State for Local Government and Planning |term_start4 = 7 March 1974 |term_end4 = 10 September 1976 |primeminister4 = Harold Wilson Jim Callaghan |predecessor4 = Graham Page (Local Government and Development) |successor4 = Position abolished |office5 = Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Services |term_start5 = 24 March 1972 |term_end5 = 5 March 1974 |leader5 = Harold Wilson |predecessor5 = Barbara Castle |successor5 = Keith Joseph |office6 = Minister of Public Buildings and Works |term_start6 = 30 April 1969 |term_end6 = 19 June 1970 |primeminister6 = Harold Wilson |predecessor6 = Bob Mellish |successor6 = Julian Amery |office7 = Government Chief Whip in the House of CommonsParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury |term_start7 = 4 July 1966 |term_end7 = 30 April 1969 | deputy7 = George Lawson (1966–67)Charles Grey (1967–69) |primeminister7 = Harold Wilson |predecessor7 = Edward Short |successor7 = Bob Mellish |office8 = Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of CommonsTreasurer of the Household |term_start8 = 11 April 1966 |term_end8 = 4 July 1966 |primeminister8 = Harold Wilson |predecessor8 = Sydney Irving | successor8 = George Lawson (Deputy) Charles Grey (Treasurer) |office9 = Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford Deptford (1963–1974) |term_start9 = 4 July 1963 |term_end9 = 26 April 1987 |predecessor9 = Leslie Plummer |successor9 = Joan Ruddock |birth_date = |birth_place = London, England |death_date = |death_place = London, England |party = Labour |spouse = |alma_mater = University of Wales Trinity Hall, Cambridge John Ernest Silkin (18 March 1923 – 26 April 1987) was a British left-wing Labour politician and solicitor.
Early life
Silkin was born in London. He was the third son of Lewis Silkin, 1st Baron Silkin, and a younger brother of Samuel Silkin, Baron Silkin of Dulwich. He was educated at Dulwich College, the University of Wales and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Silkin served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve from 1942 to 1946. He was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1943, serving in the East Indies Fleet, Eastern Fleet and Pacific Fleet aboard and , and ashore at Anderson, Ceylon (FECB). He was later promoted lieutenant. He was demobilised in 1946 and returned to Cambridge.
Silkin was admitted as a solicitor in 1950 and worked for his father's law practice in London.
Parliamentary career
He contested the seat of St Marylebone for the Labour Party at the 1950 general election, West Woolwich in 1951 and South Nottingham in 1959. He served as a councillor in the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone (1962–1963) and was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in July 1963. He served as the Labour Member of Parliament for Deptford (1963–1974) and for Lewisham, Deptford (1974–1987).
He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1966. He served as a Government Chief Whip (1966–1969) and as the deputy leader of the House of Commons (1968–1969). He was appointed as the Minister of Public Buildings and Works (1969–1970) and the Minister for Planning and Local Government in the Department for the Environment (1974–1976). He served as the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1976–79).
In opposition, Silkin was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1980 Labour leadership election following the resignation of James Callaghan, losing to Michael Foot, and in the deputy leadership election in 1981, losing to incumbent Denis Healey. He served as Opposition Spokesman on Industry (1979–1980), Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (1980–1983), Shadow Defence Secretary (1981–1983) and the Dairy Industry Arbitrator (1986–1987).
Silkin's publication Changing Battlefields: The Challenge to the Labour Party appeared posthumously. His widow gave his papers to the Churchill Archives Centre in February 1990. These cover his parliamentary and ministerial career, as well as his other public interests, such as the Channel Tunnel, the European Economic Community and the dairy industry. There is material of particular interest concerning his relationship with his Constituency Labour Party in Deptford and on the Labour Party's 1980 leadership and 1981 deputy leadership elections.
Personal life
In 1950, Silkin married actress Rosamund John.
On 26 April 1987, Silkin died from a heart attack at his home in London. A by-election was not held due to the 1987 general election being called soon after Silkin’s death.
References
| - |
|---|
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
| - |
References
- Saville, John. (2004). "Silkin, John Ernest (1923–1987), lawyer and politician".
- Carlton, Ann. (10 August 2016). "How Tony Benn's deputy leadership campaign was defeated". New Statesman.
- (1987-04-28). "John Silkin Dies in London; Was Labor Cabinet Minister". The New York Times.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::