Walton Newbold | |
|---|---|
 Shapurji Saklatvala (left) with Walton Newbold | |
| Born | John Turner Walton Newbold 8 May 1888 Culcheth,Lancashire, England |
| Died | 20 February 1943(1943-02-20) (aged 54) |
| Education | Buxton College, University of Manchester |
| Known for | FirstCommunist Party of Great Britain MP WWIConscientious objector |
John Turner Walton Newbold (8 May 1888 – 20 February 1943), generally known asWalton Newbold, was the first of the fourCommunist Party of Great Britain members to be elected asMPs in the United Kingdom.
John Turner Walton Newbold was born inCulcheth,Lancashire, on 8 May 1888, and was educated atBuxton College and theUniversity of Manchester.
On leaving university, Newbold lectured in history and politics, and was engaged in industrial and economic research.[1] In 1908, he joined theFabian Society, connected with theLabour Party, and then theIndependent Labour Party (ILP) in 1910. In line with the ILP'spacifist position onWorld War I, he joined theNo Conscription Fellowship, and was aconscientious objector, although he was in any case found physically unfit formilitary service. He did a great deal of research into the arms trade and its international connections in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.[2] Whilst still a research student, he married fellow socialistMarjory Neilson on 16 June 1916.[3]
In 1917 Newbold joined the Labour educationalPlebs' League and theBritish Socialist Party (BSP). He had a number of articles published inThe Call, the paper of the BSP.[4] By 1920, he was a committed communist, stating "my loyalty, at any rate, is now – as it has been for two and a half years – first and foremost to the position of theThird International". In 1921 he resigned from the ILP and joined theCommunist Party of Great Britain, becoming a member of its firstcentral committee.
In the1922 general election, Newbold was elected to represent theMotherwell constituency in theHouse of Commons. Locally his wife Marjory was well known in working class and socialist groups, from leading social Sunday schools, and adult education and campaigns, and some say he was supported because he was 'Madge's man'.[5] Newbold received the support of the Labour Party, but unlike many other Communist candidates, includingShapurji Saklatvala who was elected in the same general election, he stood under the label "Communist". Additionally, he was refused permission to take the Labourwhip and to sit with the Labour group. As such, he is sometimes counted as the first Communist MP in Britain, although others citeCecil L'Estrange Malone, who switched from theLiberal Party in 1920, as the first Communist MP.
Saklatvala was accepted into the Labour Party's parliamentary caucus but while Newbold applied for the same he was rejected.[6] This did not stop Saklatvala and Newbold from joint activity, however, and the pair attempted to raise the demands of the unemployed and the cause of cheap housing and lower rents whenever possible.[7] Newbold wound up being suspended from the House in May 1923 over his actions with respect to theCurzon ultimatum during theFrench occupation of the Ruhr.[7]
Newbold was sometimes seen as ineffective in Parliament, mocked by many other MPs for his old and frequently dirty clothing, but focused on producing propaganda for the Communist Party. He lost his seat in the1923 general election, after just over a year in Parliament. Increasingly disillusioned with communism, he resigned from the party in 1924 and rejoined the Labour Party. In 1928 Newbold joined theSocial Democratic Federation, and edited its journal,Social Democrat, from 1929 until 1931, when he supported theNational Labour split from Labour.
He stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate inEpping in the1929 general election. In the same year he was appointed to theMacmillan Enquiry into the operation ofbanking in the UK.
Newbold died in February 1943, aged 54.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forMotherwell 1922–1923 | Succeeded by |
| Media offices | ||
| Preceded by | Editor of theSocial Democrat 1929–1931 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
