Member of Parliament for Paddington North
Which position did Arthur Latham hold from Jun 1970 to Sep 1974?
Arthur Latham Arthur Charles Latham ( 14 August 1930 – 3 December 2016 ) was a British Labour Party politician , who was the MP for Paddington North from 1969 to 1974 , and its successor seat , Paddington , from that year until 1979 . Early life and education . Latham was born in Leyton , Essex ( now part of Greater London ) . He was educated at Garnett College of Education , the Royal Liberty School in Romford , Essex , and the London School of Economics . Career . Latham worked as a methods consultant at an import-export firm . He became involved in politics whilst in his teenage years , joining the Labour Party in 1944 , and was the party candidate in his schools mock election the following year . During the 1945 election campaign , he recruited 100 new members , and he later became Vice-Chairman of the National Committee for the Labour League of Youth in 1949 , a position he held until 1953 . In 1952 , he was elected to Romford Borough Council in Essex : at the age of 21 , he was its youngest member . At the 1959 general election , Latham stood against the former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the safe Conservative seat of Woodford , in Essex , but was unsuccessful , despite increasing the Labour vote ; it would turn out to be Churchills last election . Romford Borough Council was subsequently replaced by Havering Council , which became part of Greater London . Latham was elected to represent Haverings Hilldene ward ( centred on the Harold Hill area ) in 1964 , and was Leader of the Labour Group from 1962 to 1970 . He was also an Alderman on the council from 1962 to 1978 . At the 1964 general election , Latham contested the marginal Rushcliffe seat , but despite reducing the Conservative majority , failed to be elected . From 1967 onwards , he was a lecturer at Southgate Technical College . Outside of politics , Latham was a member North-East Regional Metropolitan Hospital Board , which covered parts of East London and Essex , from 1966 to 1972 . Member of Parliament . He was narrowly elected as the Member of Parliament for Paddington North in a 1969 by-election , following the death of the left-wing Labour incumbent , Ben Parkin . Coming five years into Labour leader Harold Wilsons term as Prime Minister , there was a large swing to the opposition Conservative Party , and Latham held the seat for Labour by just 517 votes ( 3.4% ) . The same year , he became Treasurer of the civil rights advocacy group Movement for Colonial Freedom , which was renamed Liberation in 1970 . He remained in this role until 1979 . Following the 1970 general election , which saw Latham hold his seat with an increased majority , he championed the cause of the Irish Nationalist MP Bernadette Devlin , who had been imprisoned for incitement to riot . He visited her in Armagh prison , and secured an agreement that she could deal with her constituency correspondence . After the February 1974 general election ( owing to boundary changes ) , Latham became MP for Paddington . In Parliament , he was founder , and joint Chairman , of the All-Party Group for Pensioners from 1971 to 1979 . He was also Chairman of the Tribune Group of soft-left Labour MPs from 1975 to 1976 ( and its Treasurer from 1977 to 1979 ) . From 1977 to 1986 , he was Chairman of the Greater London Labour Party . At the 1978 local elections , Latham stood for election to Chase Cross ward ( based around the area of that name ) in Romford , but lost out to the Conservative candidates . His wife , Ruby , who had first been elected to Mawney ( also in Romford ) in 1971 , lost her seat at that election . In 1979 , Latham lost his Paddington seat to the Conservative John Wheeler by 106 votes ( 0.3% of the total ) . It was so close that Latham asked for three recounts , and the result was not declared until late on the Friday morning . After Parliament . In 1981 , Latham was shortlisted to be Labours candidate for the forthcoming by-election , but lost out to Peter Tatchell ( who failed to be elected ) . With boundary changes , Lathams former Paddington seat was largely replaced by Westminster North for the 1983 general election . Latham contested Westminster North , but it was held by the Conservatives . From 1983 to 1984 , he was a non-executive Director of the London Transport Board . At the 1986 local elections , Latham was again elected to the London Borough of Havering as a councillor , representing the Brooklands ward in Romford . He was once again Leader of the Labour Group , holding this title from 1986 to 1998 . From 1986 to 1990 , he was Leader of the Opposition , and then , from 1990 to 1996 , Leader of the Council . Latham was also was Vice-President of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities . Latham was challenged over his leadership in 1995 and 1997 . On the latter occasion , it followed discussions over the effect on the party of Liberal Democrat activist Terry Hurlstones conviction for assaulting Latham . This incident occurred in March 1996 , during an argument over Lathams friendship with Hurlstones estranged wife , Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Caroline Hurlstone . At the time , Latham was running a minority administration and was dependent on the votes of Liberal Democrat councillors . In May 1996 , Hurlestone defected to the Labour Party . That month , rumours of an affair between Hurlstone and Latham were said to have led to other defections on the council , which eventually led to the end of the ruling Lib-Lab coalition . In December 1996 , Terry Hurlstone , a former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate , was convicted of common assault , but cleared of theft , having been accused of stealing a notebook from Latham . Caroline was an English teacher who had won Channel 4s Fifteen to One quiz show twice , and appeared as a contestant on the BBCs Mastermind . In January 1997 , Hornchurch Constituency Labour Party passed a motion of no confidence in Latham ; however , in May that year , the Labour Group voted him back in as Group Leader . Latham resigned as Group Leader in December 1997 , leading to Labour regaining control of the council . Latham stood down as a councillor at the 1998 local elections . He later married Caroline , who had become known as Caroline Warren . At the 1998 elections , she stood for re-election as a Labour candidate in St Edwards ward , but was not elected . During his career , Latham was Vice-President of Labour Action for Peace , and a member of the British Campaign for Peace in Vietnam and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament . In keeping with these left-wing stances , he resigned from the Labour Party in May 2003 over the Iraq War ( instigated by a Labour government ) and other issues . However , he rejoined the party in 2007 . Personal life and death . In 1951 , he married Ruby Margaret Green , and they had two children : a son , Howard Arthur , and a daughter , Diana Margaret . Howard became a councillor for the Bellenden ward in Southwark in 1994 , and then for Alleyn in the same borough in 1998 . Ruby was a fellow Havering borough councillor , representing Heaton ward in Upminster for the Labour and Co-operative Party until her death in 2001 . She died in November 2000 , and Latham married Caroline Warren in 2001 . Latham was a vegetarian . His recreations were listed in Whos Who as bridge , chess , cricket , country music , walking , theatre , Chelsea Football Club , pet rats . He lived in Romford . Latham died in December 2016 , aged 86 . References . - Times Guide to the House of Commons 1979