The Lord Braine of Wheatley | |
|---|---|
 Braine inHanover, September 1983 | |
| Father of the House of Commons | |
| In office 18 May 1987 – 9 April 1992 | |
| Speaker | |
| Preceded by | James Callaghan |
| Succeeded by | Edward Heath |
| Shadow Minister for Overseas Development | |
| In office 4 October 1967 – 15 June 1970 | |
| Leader | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Richard Wood |
| Succeeded by | Judith Hart |
| Member of Parliament forCastle Point South East Essex (1955–1983) | |
| In office 26 May 1955 – 16 March 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Bob Spink |
| Member of Parliament forBillericay | |
| In office 23 February 1950 – 6 May 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Richard Body |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 June 1914 |
| Died | 5 January 2000 (aged 85) Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England[1] |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Unit | North Staffordshire Regiment |
Bernard Richard Braine, Baron Braine of Wheatley,PC (24 June 1914 – 5 January 2000)[2] was aConservative Party politician in theUnited Kingdom. He was aMember of Parliament (MP) for 42 years, from 1950 to 1992, representing constituencies inEssex.
He was educated atHendon County Grammar School,[3] and served with theNorth Staffordshire Regiment in theSecond World War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
In 1948, Braine opposedGATT, arguing that it limitedimperial preference.[4]
Having stood unsuccessfully forLeyton East in1945, Braine was elected as MP forBillericay at the1950 general election. When constituency boundaries were revised for the1955 election he was returned for the newSouth East Essex constituency, and when that constituency was abolished for the1983 general election, he was elected for the newCastle Point constituency, becomingFather of the House of Commons in 1987 afterJames Callaghan's elevation to theHouse of Lords.
During his long parliamentary career, Braine served as a junior Minister variously for Pensions, Commonwealth Relations and Health.[1]
He was chairman of the National Council on Alcoholism, and author of the reportAlcohol and Work (1977), widely known as the Braine Report.[5] He was a member of the Parliamentary Groups on Human Rights and against abortion. For many years he served as an unofficial ambassador of HM's government to thePolish Government-in-Exile in London. He wasknighted in the1972 New Year Honours, and appointed as aPrivy Counsellor in 1985.
Braine championed many causes involving oppressed people. Among them was the Campaign for the Defence of the Unjustly Prosecuted, of which he was President and later Chairman during 1980–1987.[6] In this capacity and in collaboration with the exiled journalistJosef Josten, he campaigned vigorously for the release from prison of the dissident playwrightVaclav Havel, who later became President of the Czech Republic. He was decorated by Havel at a ceremony inPrague Castle on 28 October 1995.
Braine stepped down from Parliament at the1992 general election, and on 10 August that year he was made alife peer asBaron Braine of Wheatley,ofRayleigh in theCounty of Essex.[7] He died in January 2000 at the age of 85.
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forBillericay 1950–1955 | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forSouth East Essex 1955–1983 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forCastle Point 1983–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Father of the House 1987–1992 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
