Malcolm St Clair (politician)
Malcolm Archibald James St Clair (pronounced "Sinclair"; 16 February 1927 – 1 February 2004) was a British Conservative Party politician and Army Officer.
Early life
Born on 16 February 1927, St Clair was the son of Major-General G.P. St Clair CB CBE DSO. He was educated at Eton College.[1]
After leaving school, St Clair joined the Royal Armoured Corps as a trooper and in 1946 was commissioned as an officer into the Royal Scots Greys. He left the Army in 1948.
Political career
St Clair served as honorary secretary to Winston Churchill from 1948 to 1950,[1] before returning to run his family's dairy farm at Tetbury in Gloucestershire.[2]
In 1955, he stood unsuccessfully as a Conservative candidate at the London County Council elections, in Islington East. At the 1959 general election he stood as Conservative candidate in Bristol South East, but he lost to the sitting Labour Member of Parliament Tony Benn (then known as Anthony Wedgwood Benn), whose majority was nearly 6,000 votes.[3] However, in November 1960 Benn's father died and Benn inherited his peerage as Viscount Stansgate, with an automatic seat in the House of Lords. This disqualified Benn from sitting in the House of Commons, triggering a by-election on 4 May 1961. Benn, who wished to be allowed to disclaim his peerage, defied his inability to sit in the Commons by standing at the election, and he and St Clair were the only two candidates. St Clair's campaign displayed posters near every polling station warning voters that Benn was disqualified and that any votes for him would have no effect. Benn nevertheless won the election with nearly 70% of the votes and an increased majority of over 13,000.[4] However, an Election Court considered what to do about the result, found that Benn was disqualified from being elected, and awarded the seat to St. Clair as the only duly qualified candidate.
Outside Parliament, Benn continued to campaign for a change in the law to allow him to disclaim his peerage and return to the Commons, and eventually the Conservative government agreed. The Peerage Act 1963, making such a change in the law, was given the Royal Assent and became law shortly after 6 p.m. on 31 July 1963. Benn was the first peer to disclaim his title, at 6.22 p.m. that day. St Clair had already given an undertaking that he would respect the wishes of the people of Bristol if Benn became eligible to take his seat again, so he immediately "took the Chiltern Hundreds" by applying for the position of Steward of the Manor of Northstead. This triggered another by-election at which St Clair did not stand, and indeed there was no Conservative or Liberal candidate. On 20 August 1963, Benn was returned to the Commons with over 80% of the votes.[5]
Later life
St Clair served in the Territorial Army as a Major in the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, and as Lieutenant-Colonel from 1967 to 1969. He was High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1972.[1]
He died on 1 February 2004, aged 76.
Personal life
In June 1955, St Clair married Rosalie Alice, daughter of Wing-Commander C.L. Hargreaves.[1] He lived at Upton House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, and 28 Chesham Place, London. He was a member of the Cavalry Club.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 M. Stenton and S. Lees (eds), Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume IV 1945–1979, Harvester Press, 1981, p. 325
- ↑ Malcolm St Clair's election literature, 1961
- ↑ UK General Election results: October 1959
- ↑ 1961 By Elections
- ↑ 1963 By Elections
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tony Benn |
Member of Parliament for Bristol South East 1961–1963 |
Succeeded by Tony Benn |