The Lord Orme | |
|---|---|
 Orme in 1978 | |
| Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party | |
| In office 13 July 1987 – 18 July 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Dormand |
| Succeeded by | Doug Hoyle |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Energy | |
| In office 2 October 1983 – 13 July 1987 | |
| Leader | Neil Kinnock |
| Preceded by | John Smith |
| Succeeded by | John Prescott |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Industry | |
| In office 4 November 1980 – 2 October 1983 | |
| Leader | Michael Foot |
| Preceded by | John Silkin |
| Succeeded by | Peter Shore |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Services | |
| In office 14 June 1979 – 4 November 1980 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | David Ennals |
| Succeeded by | Gwyneth Dunwoody |
| Minister of State for Social Security | |
| In office 5 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Brian O'Malley |
| Succeeded by | Reg Prentice |
| Member of Parliament forSalford East | |
| In office 9 June 1983 – 8 April 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Allaun |
| Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
| Member of Parliament forSalford West | |
| In office 15 October 1964 – 13 May 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Royle |
| Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1923-04-05)5 April 1923 Sale,Cheshire, England |
| Died | 27 April 2005(2005-04-27) (aged 82) Sale,Greater Manchester, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
Stanley Orme, Baron Orme,PC (5 April 1923 – 27 April 2005) was a British left-wing[1]Labour Partypolitician. He was aMember of Parliament (MP) from 1964 to 1997, and served as a cabinet minister in the 1970s.
Stan Orme was born inSale,Cheshire. He was educated at a technical school, which he left in 1938 to become an instrument maker's apprentice.He joined theRAF in 1942, becoming a bomber-navigator, serving inCanada andEgypt. He was demobilised in 1947 as awarrant officer.
Orme joined the Labour Party in 1944 and he became aSale Borough Councillor in 1958. Firmly aligned with the left faction of Labour, led intellectually and organisationally byAneurin Bevan, at this time, he embraced many left-wing causes, including the Movement for Colonial Freedom and theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
He first stood forParliament inStockport South at the1959 general election, when he lost to the incumbentMember of Parliament (MP),Conservative candidateHarold M. Steward. He was elected as MP forSalford West at the1964 general election.
When Labour returned to office at theFebruary 1974 general election, Orme was installed at Stormont asMinister of State forNorthern Ireland. He made an impression in this role, before moving to theDepartment of Health and Social Security in March 1976. The Prime MinisterJames Callaghan promoted him to theCabinet in September 1976 to sit alongside his departmental bossDavid Ennals. He remained in this role until 1979.
Orme joined theShadow cabinet in 1979 as chief health and social security spokesman, before later moving on to hold the Industry and Energy portfolios until 1987. Following constituency boundary changes for the1983 general election, he was elected for the redrawn seat ofSalford East.
He served as the Chairman of theParliamentary Labour Party from 1987 to 1992. He retired from theHouse of Commons at the1997 general election, and he was created alife peer asBaron Orme, ofSalford in the County ofGreater Manchester on 21 October 1997.[2]
Orme was a republican.[3] He made several unsuccessful attempts to be elected to Labour'sNational Executive Committee, without breaking through.
Lord Orme died 22 days after his birthday, on 27 April 2005. His funeral at Dunham Crematorium was attended by many family, friends and political colleagues. A memorial service was held in theHouse of Lords, with speeches from former Labour leadersNeil Kinnock andMichael Foot. A very rare exception was made by the Lord Chancellor such that any Divisions were suspended during this evening service.
In 1951 he married Irene Mary Harris (died 2022). They had no children.
In December 2019, aDaily Telegraph investigation reported that Orme had been involved in handing confidential information toCzech communist spies.[4]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSalford West 1964–1983 | Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSalford East 1983–1997 | |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Social Security 1976–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theParliamentary Labour Party 1987–1992 | Succeeded by |
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