This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/05/kenneth-purchase-obituary

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Kenneth Purchase obituary Ken Purchase obituary
(7 days later)
Kenneth Purchase, the former MP for Wolverhampton North East, who has died aged 77, was one of the last of what was once a widespread category of working-class Labour MPs who represented the area in which he was born, having secured election to parliament with an established experience in town-hall politics and a career working in local industry. He was tremendously proud of Wolverhampton and he fostered the interests of its people throughout his adult life. Ken Purchase, the former MP for Wolverhampton North East, who has died aged 77, was one of the last of what was once a widespread category of working-class Labour MPs who represented the area in which he was born, having secured election to parliament with an established experience in town-hall politics and a career working in local industry. He was tremendously proud of Wolverhampton.
Son of Albert, a die caster who had lost an eye in an industrial accident, and Rebecca, a cleaner, Ken was born into a household where “being a Tory was never on the agenda”. He grew up in an atmosphere where political views were stridently expressed by his father and elder sister, and he joined the Labour party aged 21. He started his education at Springfield secondary modern school, spent four years’ apprenticeship as a toolmaker and another 15 years working in the aerospace and car industries. He was a shop steward and works’ convenor for the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) but also took correspondence courses to qualify for a BA in social science at Wolverhampton Polytechnic (now Wolverhampton University). As he was by then married with a family, he could not afford to take up the offer of a scholarship at the London School of Economics, or at Ruskin College, Oxford.Son of Albert, a die caster who had lost an eye in an industrial accident, and Rebecca, a cleaner, Ken was born into a household where “being a Tory was never on the agenda”. He grew up in an atmosphere where political views were stridently expressed by his father and elder sister, and he joined the Labour party aged 21. He started his education at Springfield secondary modern school, spent four years’ apprenticeship as a toolmaker and another 15 years working in the aerospace and car industries. He was a shop steward and works’ convenor for the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) but also took correspondence courses to qualify for a BA in social science at Wolverhampton Polytechnic (now Wolverhampton University). As he was by then married with a family, he could not afford to take up the offer of a scholarship at the London School of Economics, or at Ruskin College, Oxford.
He was elected to Wolverhampton council in 1970 and remained a member for 20 years, in the meantime moving out of heavy industry to work in public service. He was employed by the Telford development corporation, Walsall council housing department and then, for 10 years, until his election to the House of Commons in 1992, he pursued his lifelong interest in encouraging the development of industrial co-operatives as a business development adviser for the Black Country co-operative development agency. He was elected to Wolverhampton council in 1970 and remained a member for 20 years. He was employed by the Telford development corporation, Walsall council housing department and then, for 10 years, until his election to the House of Commons in 1992, he pursued his lifelong interest in encouraging the development of industrial co-operatives as a business development adviser for the Black Country co-operative development agency.
Having succeeded the former Labour MP Renée Short as the party’s candidate for Wolverhampton NE before the 1987 election, Purchase lost the seat to the Conservative Maureen Hicks, despite a national swing to Labour, in a messy campaign dominated by a local row about the death of a black youth in police custody. He won it back for the party in 1992 as one of 15 Labour and Co-operative MPs. Having succeeded the former Labour MP Renée Short as the party’s candidate for Wolverhampton NE before the 1987 election, Purchase lost the seat to the Conservative Maureen Hicks, despite a national swing to Labour, in a messy campaign dominated by a local row about the death of a black youth in police custody. He won it back for the party in 1992 as one of 15 Labour and Co-operative MPs.
In the Commons he used his position to promote the issues about which he cared profoundly, notably education, housing and employment, and he used his understanding of the people he represented to further his causes. He was an unremittingly traditional leftwinger, a fierce critic of high defence expenditure, the hereditary membership of the House of Lords and the establishment of academy schools. When Labour won in 1997, he was appointed by Robin Cook as his parliamentary private secretary and resigned from the post with him in opposition to the Iraq war in 2003. He was a member of the select committee on trade and industry from 1993–97 and of the foreign affairs committee from 2005 until his retirement in 2010. In the Commons he used his position to promote the issues about which he cared profoundly, notably education, housing and employment. He was an unremittingly traditional leftwinger, a fierce critic of high defence expenditure, the hereditary membership of the House of Lords and the establishment of academy schools. When Labour won in 1997, he was appointed by Robin Cook as his parliamentary private secretary and resigned from the post with him in opposition to the Iraq war in 2003. He was a member of the select committee on trade and industry from 1993 to 1997 and of the foreign affairs committee from 2005 until his retirement in 2010.
He was a popular MP with his colleagues, a cheerful and jovial figure, often to be found in the corner of the Strangers’ Bar with his friend and fellow Wolverhampton MP, the late Dennis Turner (afterwards Lord Bilston). He was a popular MP with his colleagues, a cheerful and jovial figure, often to be found in the corner of the Strangers’ bar with his friend and fellow Wolverhampton MP, Dennis Turner (afterwards Lord Bilston).
Purchase was a jazz enthusiast, a good jazz singer himself, and would do a turn at the Steelworkers’ club in Bilston and Labour clubs in the city (as Wolverhampton became in 2000). He was also a regular at the Trumpet, a jazz pub in Bilston. Purchase was a jazz enthusiast and a regular at the Trumpet, a jazz pub in Bilston. He was not an enthusiast for political correctness and once suggested that school teachers should be allowed “to biff kids back” if they were aggressive in the classroom. On another occasion, when Harriet Harman was standing in for Prime Minister’s Questions, with two women colleagues beside her, the MP Gisela Stuart commented: “It is good to see three good women on the frontbench.” Purchase called out from his seat: “I’d prefer to see three bad women.”
In old-school Labour style, he was not an enthusiast for political correctness and once suggested that school teachers should be allowed “to biff kids back” if they were aggressive in the classroom. On another occasion, when Harriet Harman was standing in for Prime Minister’s Questions, with two women colleagues beside her, the MP Gisela Stuart commented: “It is good to see three good women on the frontbench.” Purchase called out from his seat: “I’d prefer to see three bad women.”
His later years in parliament were coloured by a regret at the course on which the Labour party had embarked. He believed that if Cook had lived he could have been the one member of the cabinet who would have had the authority to stand up to Gordon Brown as Tony Blair’s successor and save the Labour party from itself. This followed a deep disappointment in Blair’s leadership of the party, which he only expressed after announcing his intention to stand down.His later years in parliament were coloured by a regret at the course on which the Labour party had embarked. He believed that if Cook had lived he could have been the one member of the cabinet who would have had the authority to stand up to Gordon Brown as Tony Blair’s successor and save the Labour party from itself. This followed a deep disappointment in Blair’s leadership of the party, which he only expressed after announcing his intention to stand down.
In an interview he gave to the House magazine, he credited Blair and Peter Mandelson with successfully having improved Labour’s image in order to secure election victory but accused Blair of then jettisoning Labour’s core values on housing, health and education and consequently rendering the party intellectually bankrupt. Purchase spoke of his despair at the pragmatic rightwing views which he believed the Labour leadership had stolen from the Conservatives and which failed to meet the needs of those he called “our people”. He contrasted it with his experience as a councillor in the 1970s and 80s, when the pursuit of Labour policies had made a real difference to people’s lives. In an interview he gave to the House magazine, he credited Blair and Peter Mandelson with successfully having improved Labour’s image in order to secure election victory but accused Blair of then jettisoning Labour’s core values and consequently rendering the party intellectually bankrupt. Purchase spoke of his despair at the pragmatic rightwing views which he believed the Labour leadership had stolen from the Conservatives and which failed to meet the needs of those he called “our people”. “It has been a disappointment to me that fewer and fewer people seem to have a real understanding of what the Labour party does, what it is for and what its real aims are,” he said.
“It has been a disappointment to me that fewer and fewer people seem to have a real understanding of what the Labour party does, what it is for and what its real aims are, its goals and its purpose,” he said. He married Brenda (nee Sanders) in 1960. She survives him, with their two daughters, Samantha and Lisa.
He married Brenda (nee Sanders), the daughter of a steelworker, in 1960. She survives him, with their two daughters, Samantha and Lisa.
• Kenneth Purchase, politician, born 8 January 1939; died 28 August 2016• Kenneth Purchase, politician, born 8 January 1939; died 28 August 2016
• This article was amended on 6 September. Kenneth Purchase’s father was a die caster, not a dye caster as originally stated.• This article was amended on 6 September. Kenneth Purchase’s father was a die caster, not a dye caster as originally stated.