Members of Parliament

See also Prime Ministers: Classified, Prime Ministers: Details, and The Great Offices of State (the last for lists of Home Secretaries, Foreign Secretaries and Chancellors of the Exchequer, since 1945).

Speakers

Last Speaker to be forced out of office, before Michael Martin (1695 – for accepting bribes)		Sir John Trevor
1976–83: the first Speaker to be heard calling for order at the beginning of broadcasts from the House of Commons		George Thomas
1983–92		Bernard Weatherill
1992–2000: the first woman Speaker, and the first from an opposition party since 1835; the first not to wear a wig		Betty Boothroyd
2000–9: the first Roman Catholic Speaker since the Reformation; resigned in 2009 following criticism of his role in the parliamentary expenses scandal – the first speaker to be forced out of office since 1695		Michael Martin
2009–19: the first Jewish speaker		John Bercow
2019 to date: son of a Labour peer and former MP		Sir Lindsay Hoyle

Fathers of the House (of Commons)

'Father of the House' is an unofficial title that has traditionally been bestowed on the longest–serving member of the House of Commons.

Since 1900, five former Prime Ministers have held the title. The following table gives details of selected Fathers of the House, beginning with the first of those five. Gaps in the table indicate that one or more incumbents have been left out (because they're unlikely to come up in quizzes).

Just to clarify: the first column gives the year in which each incumbent was first elected to Parliament, and the second gives the years in which they were known as Father of the House.

Elected	Years	Party	Constituency		Name
1868	1907–8	Liberal	Stirling Burghs		Sir Henry Campbell–Bannerman
1890	1929–45	Liberal	Caernavon Boroughs		David Lloyd George

1900	1959–64	Conservative	(Woodford)		Sir Winston Churchill
1929	1964–5	Conservative	Saffron Walden		R. A. Butler

1945

1983–87

Labour

Cardiff South, Penarth

James Callaghan

1950	1992–2001	Conservative	Bexley, Sidcup, Old Bexley and Sidcup		Sir Edward Heath
1962	2001–5	Labour	Linlithgow		Tam Dalyell
1964	2005–10	Labour	Swansea West		Alan Williams
1966	2010–15	Conservative	Louth and Horncastle		Sir Peter Tapsell
1970	2015–17	Labour	Manchester Gorton		Sir Gerald Kaufman
1970	2017–19	Conservative / Independent	Rushcliffe		Kenneth Clarke
1975	2019–	Conservative	Worthing West		Sir Peter Bottomley

In 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May made reference to a 'Mother of the House'.

Other

The first black woman MP – elected in 1987 in Hackney North and Stoke Newington			Diane Abbott
Still serving in 2021, and first in a list of MPs by surname and first name, for at least part (and probably most if not all) of that time
Great–nephew of the first Lord Beaverbrook			Jonathan Aitken
Resigned in 1995 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, after revelations that BMARC, of which he was a non–executive Director, broke sanctions and sold arms to Iran; later imprisoned for perjury, after suing The Guardian and Granada TV's World in Action for libel
Once had a glass of wine thrown over him by Anna Ford
Former Tory MP, lost a famous libel case against BBC2's Have I Got News For You in 1998			Rupert Allason
Conservative MP for Southend West, a long–time supporter of city status for the borough, fatally stabbed in 2021			Sir David Amess
Elected in 1969 as Conservative MP for Louth (Lincs), aged 29; later claimed falsely to have been the youngest MP ever; stood down in 1974 when facing bankruptcy as a result of a fraudulent investment scheme (Aquablast), and took up writing			Jeffrey Archer
Appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party by Margaret Thatcher, in 1985; resigned 13 months later after the News of the World claimed that he had paid prostitute Monica Coghlan £2,000 to leave the country; he then sued the Daily Star for libel after it alleged he had slept with Coghlan, and won £500,000 damages
Granted a life peerage by John Major, in 1992, for charitable work on behalf of the Iraqi Kurds. (It was later alleged that he grossly over–estimated the amount of money raised.)
Escaped prosecution for insider dealing in the shares of Anglia TV (of which his wife was a director) in 1994
Withdrew his candidacy for the London Mayoral election of 2000, after the News of the World claimed he had committed perjury in his 1987 libel case; subsequently expelled from the Conservative party by William Hague; tried for perjury in 2000–1, found guilty and sentenced to four years' imprisonment; repaid the £500,000 libel damages he had received from the Daily Star
Cabinet Secretary who admitted to being 'economical with the truth' in 1986			Sir Robert Armstrong
Tory MP branded a homosexual, liar and hypocrite by losing a libel action against the Sunday Times, in December 1995			David Ashby
Former MP and Lib Dem leader, awarded a peerage in 2001: Chair of the Lib Dems' General Election Committe, 2015; announced during the BBC's election night coverage that if the exit polls' forecast (that the Lib Dems would be reduced from 57 seats to 10) were proved correct, he would eat his hat; in fact they were reduced to 8; subsequently ate a chocolate hat that was presented to him on Question Time			Paddy Ashdown
Owner of the world's largest collection of Victoria Cross medals, which was placed on permanent display in the Imperial War Museum in 2010 – seven years after he left the House of Commons
First woman to take her seat in the House of Commons (1919)			Nancy Astor
Education Secretary, 1986–9; introduced the National Curriculum, and in–service training days for teachers (which were informally named after him)			Kenneth Baker
Last leader of the GLC (1985–6); MP for Newham North West 1986–97 and West Ham 1997–2005; Minister for Sport 1997–9; created Lord Stratford 2005; died on holiday in Florida 2006, aged 62			Tony Banks
Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1970, after the death of Ian Macleod; introduced VAT, 1973			Anthony Barber
Gave his name to a parliament convened by Cromwell in 1653, which was succeeded by the Rump			Praise–God Barebone
Successful SDP candidate in the Greenwich by–election, 1987			Rosie Barnes
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 1974–9: devised (and gave his name to) the formula that allocates public spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland			Joel Barnett
The first female Foreign Secretary, and the second woman (after Thatcher) to hold one of the four 'great offices of state' (under Blair: replaced Jack Straw after his demotion in May 2006; replaced by David Miliband in June 2007 when Brown succeeded Blair)			Margaret Beckett
Resigned from the Board of Trade in 1948, admitting 'acceptance of gifts and hospitality from shady wheeler–dealers' in the whisky industry			John Belcher
Former BBC journalist, beat Neil Hamilton in the Tatton constituency at the 1997 general election (didn't stand in 2001)			Martin Bell
Sponsor of the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019, designed to prevent a no–deal Brexit – dubbed "the Surrender Act" by Boris Johnson			Hilary Benn
Tory MP for Anglesey, jailed in 1987 for making multiple BT share applications			Keith Best
Labour left–winger, MP for Ebbw Vale, 1929–60; as Minister of Health from 1945 to 1951, is often called the founding father of the NHS; Minister of Labour, 1951; resigned with Wilson in 1951, after Chancellor Gaitskell imposed charges on false teeth and spectacles to fund the Korean War; died in 1960, aged 62			Aneurin (Nye) Bevan
Founder of the TGWU, general secretary 1921–40; helped to found Nato; Minister of Labour and National Service 1940–5, Foreign Secretary 1945–51; died in 1951			Ernest Bevin
First woman appointed to the Cabinet (minister of Labour under Ramsay MacDonald, 1929–31)			Margaret Bondfield
Succeeded Margaret Thatcher as (Conservative) MP for Finchley, 1992; resigned as PPS in 1994 after revelations of a relationship with former research assistant Emily Barr			Hartley Booth
Elected as MP for Batley & Spen, at a by–election in October 2016, following the assassination of Jo Cox in the run–up to the Brexit reverendum			Tracy Brabin
Persistently refused entry to the House of Commons in the 1880s because, as an atheist, he refused to swear the oath of allegiance on the Bible			Charles Bradlaugh
Co–founder (with Richard Cobden) of the Anti–Corn Law League and of the so–called Manchester School			John Bright
Trade and Industry Secretary, resigned in 1986 over the Westland affair; became a vice–president of the European Commission in 1989			Leon Brittan
The only Conservative MP to join the SDP: crossed the floor during a budget debate, 1981; lost his seat in 1983, lost again in 1987; joined Labour in 1997; died in 2012, aged 86			Christopher Brocklebank–Fowler
Northern Ireland Secretary, sang Clementine on an Irish TV show			Peter Brooke
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, 1960–70 (under both Gaitskell and Wilson); led the party for four weeks following Gaitskell's death in 1963, but came second to Wilson in the ensuing leadership election			George Brown
Resigned as Foreign Secretary, in 1968, over "the way the Government is run" (but remained as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party until the 1970 General Election, when he lost his seat, after which he was awarded a life peerage)
Labour MP, suspended in 1988 for damaging the Mace and refusing to apologise			Ron Brown
Chancellor of the Exchequer 1951–5 (under Churchill and Eden), Leader of the House of Commons 1955–61 (under Eden and Macmillan), Home Secretary 1957–62 (under Macmillan), Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister 1962–3 (under Macmillan), Foreign Secretary 1963–4 (under Douglas Home); passed over twice when prime ministers (Eden and Macmillan) resigned (in favour of Macmillan and Douglas Home, respectively); one of only two people (the other being John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon) to have served in three of the four Great Offices of State, but never to have been Prime Minister			R. A. 'Rab' Butler
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 2009–10: admitted he considered suicide after being heavily criticised for leaving a note in his office, addressed to his Coalition successor (David Laws, Lib Dem), that read "I'm afraid there is no money"			Liam Byrne
Former leader (for 65 days in 2007) and deputy leader (2006–10) of the Liberal Democrats: Business Secretary in the Cameron coalition government 2010–15; defeated by Tory candidate Tania Mathias in the 2015 general election (Twickenham constituency)			Vince Cable
Resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following devaluation of the pound in 1967 – a measure he'd been extremely reluctant to take; appointed Home Secretary on the same day, replacing Roy Jenkins			James Callaghan
Foreign Secretary, duelled with future Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh in 1809			George Canning
The last surviving member of Churchill's government (served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture); First Lord of the Admiralty under Macmillan, Leader of the House of Lords under Douglas–Home, Defence Secretary under Heath, and Foreign Secretary under Thatcher			Peter Carington (sic), Lord Carrington
Resigned as Foreign Secretary in 1982 because his conduct of relations with Argentina was judged to have led to the Falklands War
Secretary General of NATO, 1984–8
Tory MP for Harwich 2005–10, and for Clacton 2010–14: changed his allegiance to UKIP in 2014, and announced his resignation as an MP; returned as a UKIP MP in the resulting by–election, becoming its first MP; became its only one again after the 2015 general election, when Mark Reckless lost his seat to the Tory candidate; co–founder of Vote Leave (October 2015); left UKIP in March 2017 to sit as an Independent – "now that we've won"			Douglas Carswell
As Minister of Transport (1965–8) introduced the breathalyser (1967), compulsory fitting of seat belts in cars, and the 70 mph speed limit on motorways; as Employment Secretary (1969), prepared the white paper In Place of Strife, on behalf of the Wilson government, aimed at curbing the power of the unions – it was never enacted			Barbara Castle
Foreign Secretary, committed suicide 1822 with a letter opener			Lord Castlereagh
Left wing Liberal MP, Colonial Secretary in Lord Salisbury's Conservative government; father of a Prime Minister (Neville) and a Nobel Peace Laureate (Austin)			Joseph Chamberlain
Started as Conservative member for Oldham, 1900 (after 5 failed attempts?); also sat for Manchester North West, Dundee, Epping and Woodford			Winston Churchill
Grandson of the above former Prime Minister: MP for Stretford 1970–83, and Davyhulme 1973–97; died in 2010, aged 69			Winston Churchill
Former Tory Defence Minister, claimed to have had affairs with Mrs. Valerie Harkness and both of her daughters			Alan Clark
The last Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 20th century (1993–7); often referred to in the media as "the big beast [of UK politics]"; known for his fondness for jazz and Hush Puppies			Kenneth Clarke
Deputy Prime Minister to David Cameron, during the Conservative / Lib Dem coalition (2010–15)			Nick Clegg
Co–founder (with John Bright) of the Anti–Corn Law League and of the so–called Manchester School			Richard Cobden
Former athlete: Conservative MP for Falmouth and Cambourne, 1992–7; created a life peer in 2000			Sebastian Coe
Succeeded Ted Heath in Bexley and Sidcup, 2001; lost the Tory whip in 2008 after revelations that he paid his son (a full–time student) £40,000 over three years for research work that was never done. Same name as a character in The Bill!			Derek Conway
Labour Foreign Secretary, 1997–2001; resigned as Leader of the House 2003, in protest against the war in Iraq; resignation speech said to be the first ever to receive a standing ovation in parliament			Robin Cook
Suffered a fatal heart attack while climbing Ben Stack, Sutherland, in 2005 aged 59
Labour MP, fatally shot and stabbed on a street in her constituency (Batley & Spen) in the run–up to the 2016 EU referendum			Jo Cox
Sports Minister who resigned in 2018, in protest against a delay over the introduction of reduced limits on the stakes of fixed odds betting terminals			Tracey Crouch
Health Minister, resigned in 1989 after her remarks about salmonella in eggs			Edwina Currie
Confessed in her diaries, published in 2002, to an affair with John Major (1984–8), describing him as "the love of my life"
Chancellor of the Exchequer, resigned 1947 after revealing budget secrets			Hugh Dalton
Labour MP for Rochdale, 2010–17: campaigned about historical allegations of child sex abuse, but was suspended from the Labour Party in 2015, after allegedly sending sexually explicit text messages to a 17–yr–old girl; resigned from the party in May 2017 after being blocked from standing in the forthcoming general election; stood in Rochdale as an independent, but polled only 883 votes and lost his deposit			Simon Danczuk
Welsh Secretary, resigned in 1998 after a mysterious incident on Clapham Common			Ron Davies
The first English parliament was summoned by			Simon de Montfort
The UK's youngest–ever MP (1969–73, aged 21 when elected); lost her seat after becoming pregnant to Michael McAliskey before marrying him			Bernadette Devlin
Punched Home Secretary Reginald Maudling after he made a statement supporting the army line on Bloody Sunday
Labour MP for Holborn & St. Pancras, 1987–2015: Health Secretary 1997–9, and the official Labour candidate in the first London Mayoral election (2000 – when Ken Livingstone stood as an Independent)			Frank Dobson
Liverpool–born MP for the safe Conservative seat of Mid Bedfordshire, 2005–23: lost the Conservative whip, 2012–13, after taking part in I'm a Celebrity ... without informing the chief whip; Culture Secretary under Johnson, 2021–2; announced her intention to stand down as an MP in June 2023, then withdrew it, demanding to know why she'd been denied a peerage in Johnson's resignation honours; eventually stood down on 29 August, having not spoken in the House of Commons since June 2022, and was criticised by MPs on both sides for allegedly abandoning her constituents			Nadine Dorries
Published 14 novels in her last 9 years as an MP – followed, three months after her resignation, by The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson
Resigned from Ministry of Agriculture in 1954, over the Crichel Down affair (Government failure to return land to its rightful owners after World War II)			Sir Thomas Dugdale
The first female UK MP to come out as gay (1997)			Angela Eagle
Labour MP for Liverpool Broadgreen, sentenced to 60 days in prison in 1991 for refusing to pay his poll tax			Terry Fields
Employment Secretary, 1974–6; Leader of the House, 1976–79; Leader of the Opposition, 1980–83			Michael Foot
Labour backbencher, proposed a bill to ban hunting with dogs (1997/8)			Michael Foster
Stood down as Defence Secretary in 2011, after admitting errors of judgment in mixing his professional and personal loyalties, in relation to his friend Adam Werrity			Liam Fox
MP for Reigate, 1974–97: a strong supporter of Thatcher (knighted in her resignation honours), he defected to the Referendum Party in March 1997 – becoming its only ever MP – after being deselected by his constituency Tory party for criticising Major; lost his seat in the general election two months later			George Gardiner
Lost his Smethwick seat in the 1964 general election, in controversial circumstances, but continued as Foreign Secretary until a by–election came up – then lost that and had to resign			Patrick Gordon Walker
Labour MP for Glasgow Hillhead 1987–97, Glasgow Kelvin 1997–2005, Bethnal Green and Bow 2005–10; criticised by Labour leader John Smith in 1994 after praising Saddam Hussain (face to face) for his "courage ... strength [and] indefatigability"; expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 for "bringing the party into disrepute"; joined the anti–war Respect party in 2004, and won a by–election in Bradford in 2005; suspended from Parliament in 2007, after claiming he had been "persecuted" by a committee, for speaking out against the Iraq War; became leader of Respect in 2013; defeated by Labour candidate Naseem Shah in the 2015 general election			George Galloway
Testified to the United States Senate in 2005 over alleged illicit payments from the United Nations' Oil for Food Program
Pretended to lick milk like a cat from the hands of actress Rula Lenska, on Celebrity Big Brother, in 2006
Claimed in January 2022 that she was dismissed as a transport minister in 2020 partly because of her "Muslimness"			Nusrat Ghani
Resigned as MP for Richmond Park in 2016 following the Government's decision to approve a third runway at Heathrow Airport			Zac Goldsmith
Conservative MP and former minister who died in 1990 when the IRA placed an explosive under his Austin Montego, which exploded as he reversed out of the driveway at his home in his Eastbourne constituency			Ian Gow
Conservative MP (former Channel 4 Business Editor) whose offices were controversially searched by police in November 2008 following allegations of unauthorised disclosure of confidential Home Office material			Damien Green
Minister of Agriculture (Fisheries & Food) during the BSE crisis, 1989–90 – famously tried to feed a beefburger to his four–year–old daughter Cordelia			John (Selwyn) Gummer
First Commissioner of Works, 1855–8 (a post later renamed, and better known as, Minister of Works) after whom Big Ben (completed in April 1858) is said to be named			Sir Benjamin Hall
MP for Tatton and Corporate Affairs Minister, resigned 1994 after it emerged that he'd accepted cash for asking questions in the House of Commons			Neil Hamilton
MP for Wendover (Buckinghamshire) in the reign of Charles I, said to have been an instigator of the English Revolution (Civil War) by refusing to pay ship money			John Hampden
Resigned as Health Secretary in June 2021, after publication of a photograph of him in a passionate embrace with Health Department aide Gina Coladangelo – during COVID–19 lockdown			Matt Hancock
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, under Brown (2007–10) and Miliband (2010–15); also twice acting leader, following their respective resignations			Harriet Harman
Referred to in 2017, by Prime Minister Theresa May, as 'Mother of the House', in recognition of her status as the longest continuously–serving woman MP
Immigration minister who resigned in 2014 after it emerged that his cleaner didn't have permission to work in the UK			Mark Harper
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, 1983–92; fined in 1996 after his dog Buster killed a goose in St. James's Park			Roy Hattersley
Tory MP with whom Paul Stone claimed to have had a homosexual affair, 1996			Jerry Hayes
Deputy leader of the Labour Party, 1980–3, under Neil Kinnock			Denis Healey
Claimed that he had said "Rejoice" not twice but three times, on hearing of Margaret Thatcher's resignation			Edward Heath
Labour left–winger, dismissed as Minister for Industry 1975 for actively opposing Britain's membership of the EEC			Eric Heffer
Environment Secretary 1979–83, Defence Secretary, 1983–6: resigned in protest at Thatcher's decision, supported by Trade Secretary Leon Brittan, to allow the sale of Westland to a US company			Michael Heseltine
Unsuccessfully challenged Thatcher for leadership of the Conservative party in 1990; went on to serve under Major as President of the Board of Trade (1992–5), Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State (both 1995–7)
Minister of Agriculture, censured in the Commons 1997 over his handling of the BSE crisis			Douglas Hogg
MP for Plymouth Devonport, 1923–45 (succeeded by Michael Foot): as Minister of Transport 1934–7, re–introduced the speed limit on urban roads, also introduced the driving test and the pedestrian crossing (the zebra crossing was a later development). Gave his name (second part of surname, by public association) to the lamp that denotes a pedestrian crossing; also served as Secretary of State for War, 1937–40, before being controversially dismissed			Leslie Hore–Belisha
Tory ex–minister, defected to Labour October 1995			Alan Howarth
Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1979–83; Foreign Secretary 1983–9; Leader of the House of Commons and Deputy Prime Minister, 1989–90; last survivor of Thatcher's original cabinet; resigned over her rejection of the single European currency (the day after her famous "No. No. No." speech), prompting her replacement by John Major			Geoffrey Howe
Immigration Minister, resigned in 2004 over the bypassing of proper checks to reduce the backlog of immigration requests on behalf of workers from Eastern Europe			Beverly Hughes
Lib Dem MP, and twice former candidate for the party leadership: resigned as Environment Secretary, in 2012, after being charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice over a 2003 speeding case			Chris Huhne
Former historian and broadcaster, Labour MP for Stoke–on–Trent Central (2010–17) and Shadow Education Secretary (2013–15): resigned his seat in 2017 to become director of the Victoria & Albert Museum			Tristram Hunt
Father was MP for Newbury, grandfather for Devizes			Douglas Hurd
First person to be killed by a train (by Stephenson's Rocket, at the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester, 1830)			William Huskisson
Former Oscar–winning actress: MP for Hampstead & Highgate 1992–2010, and Hampstead & Kilburn 2010–15			Glenda Jackson
Editor of The Spectator, 1999–2005			Boris Johnson
Labour backbencher, lost her seat 1999 for fiddling election expenses, but regained it on appeal			Fiona Jones
Minister for the Olympics, 2005–10 (also Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, 2001–7; Minister for London, 2007–8; Paymaster General, 2007–10)			Tessa Jowell
Communities and Local Government Secretary, former Education Secretary, made headlines in 2007 by sending her son to a private school			Ruth Kelly
Chancellor of the Exchequer, increased the VAT rate to 17.5% (from 15%) in his 1991 budget; failed to resign when Britain was forced out of the ERM, 1992			Norman Lamont
Lib Dem MP for Yeovil (replaced Paddy Ashdown in 2001): resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in May 2010 (23 days after the election) following revelations that he'd been claiming expenses for rent on rooms owned by his long–term (male) partner – the first minister to resign from the Cameron coalition			David Laws
Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the PEP in 1987; resigned in 1989, and was replaced by John Major, after Margaret Thatcher re–employed Alan Walters as personal economic adviser			Nigel Lawson
Younger sister of Jo Cox: elected as MP for Batley & Spen, at a by–election in July 2021, following Tracy Brabin's election as Mayor of West Yorkshire			Kim Leadbeater
Britain's first Minister for the Arts, under Wilson (1967); as such, played a leading role in the foundation of the Open University			Jennie Lee
Captained Sidney Sussex (Cambridge) to victory in the 1979 series of University Challenge; went on to represent Aylesbury in Parliament from 1992 to 2019, and held various Cabinet posts under Theresa May including Justice Secretary and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; was referred to as her de facto deputy and a possible successor			David Lidington
Drafted the Bank Holidays Bill, 1871 (they were named in his honour by the delighted public); also the Ancient Monuments Bill 1882			Sir John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury
UK Green Party leader 2008–12, and its first MP (elected for Brighton Pavilion, 2010)			Caroline Lucas
Edward Heath's first Chancellor (1970); died one month after the election; helped to invent the ACOL bidding system for Bridge			Iain MacLeod
Chancellor of the Exchequer who introduced Premium Bonds in 1956			Harold Macmillan
As Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced his only Budget in 1990			John Major
First woman elected to Parliament (1918); represented Sinn Fein, and in line with party policy refused to take her seat			Countess Markiewicz
Former Northern Ireland Secretary, resigned in 1993 over links with Asil Nadir			Michael Mates
Came second behind Edward Heath in the Conservative leadership election of 1965			Reginald Maudling
Resigned as Home Secretary in 1972 after being implicated in the Poulson affair
Labour MP for Buckingham, 1964–70			Robert Maxwell
Labour MP for Paisley South, committed suicide in July 1996 after being 'outed' over an alleged homosexual relationship			Gordon McMaster
Resigned as Work & Pensions Secretary in 2018 in opposition to Brexit negotiations and Theresa May's draft Brexit withdrawal agreement; stood for leader of the Conservative Party following May's resignation, but was defeated in the first ballot			Esther McVey
The first National Heritage Secretary, after the post was created by John Major in 1992; dubbed it "Minister of Fun"; resigned after only five months in post (September 1992), following revelations of an affair with Antonia da Sancha and free holidays from the daughter of a PLO supporter			David Mellor
Told Sir James Goldsmith, after they were both defeated by a Labour candidate in the 1997 General Election, that he had "nothing to be smug about – fifteen hundred votes is a derisory total"
Conservative MP and novelist: resigned her seat in 2012 to spend more time with her husband in New York			Louise Mensch
Elected Tory MP for Plymouth Moor View in 2015: subsequently appeared in a TV advert, showering with Dove shower gel (filmed during the election campaign); shares his name with an American songwriter (1909–76)			Johnny Mercer
Tory MP for Beckenham, resigned in 1997 after an affair with a teenage nightclub hostess. Died in 2009 (of cancer) aged 58			Piers Merchant
Labour leader ridiculed (in 2014) over his struggle to eat a bacon sandwich			Ed Miliband
Resigned as Culture Secretary in 2014, after a row over her expenses			Maria Miller
Conservative MP, died in 1994 aged 45, in one of the first widely publicised cases of (apparent) auto–erotic asphyxiation			Stephen Milligan
Conservative MP, caught playing Candy Crush (reportedly for two and a half hours) on his taxpayer–funded iPad during a Commons committee session in 2014 (aged 40)			Nigel Mills
Lost his position as Government Chief Whip in 2012, as a result of the so–called "Plebgate" affair			Andrew Mitchell
Former Education Secretary, reportedly barred from meetings at 10 Downing Street in 2016 after criticising PM Teresa May for being photographed in a pair of leather trousers that reportedly cost £995			Nicky Morgan
Deputy Prime Minister under Atlee, 1945–51; grandfather of Peter Mandelson			Herbert Morrison
Labour MP 1918–31, founded the British Union of Fascists, 1931			Oswald Mosley
Minister for Sport, 1987–90: previously won a silver medal at the 1980 Olympics (Moscow); went to the Lords in 1997 thanks to a hereditary peerage; Chairman of the BOA, 2005–12			Colin Moynihan
Scotland's only Labour MP, following the 2015 general election, and also following that of 2019 (representing Edinburgh South); appointed Shadow Scottish Secretary by Harriet Harman (acting Labour leader) in 2015 and Keir Starmer in 2020			Ian Murray
Tory MP, defected to the Liberal Democrats on 29 December 1995			Emma Nicholson
Defence Secretary during the Falklands invasion – Thatcher refused his resignation; entitled his autobiography Here Today, Gone Tomorrow after a remark by Robin Day at which he took offence			John Nott
Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman, resigned in 2006 after allegations involving male prostitutes			Mark Oaten
Irish political leader, MP 1828–41: campaigned for Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the Act of Union; Dublin's Sackville Street was renamed in his honour after Irish independence			Daniel O'Connell
Labour MP for Peterborough, from 2017: sentenced to three months imprisonment in 2019 for perverting the course of justice – lying to police in an attempt to avoid speeding fines; removed from office after her release			Fiona Onasanya
Liberal Democrat spokesman on Wales and Northern Ireland, left a weather girl (Sian Lloyd) for a cheeky girl (Gabriela Irimia) in 2006; born 1965 in Bangor, Co. Down, of Estonian parents; name is an anagram of "I like to B MP"!			Lembit Opik
Won the Tatton constituency back for the Tories in 2001, when Martin Bell didn't stand; Chancellor of the Exchequer 2010– (having been Shadow Chancellor 2005–10)			George Osborne
Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, 2010–22 (previously MEP for South West England, 1999–1009): resigned after admitting that he'd watched pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons, on two separate occasions (once accidentally and once intentionally)			Neil Parish
Trade & Industry Secretary, later Conservative Party chairman: resigned in 1983 after revelations of his 11–year affair with his secretary Sarah Keays, who was expecting his child			Cecil Parkinson
Irish landowner and MP, founded the Irish Parliamentary Party (said to be the world's first professionally organised political party – one of the first to appoint a whip) in 1882; ruined when cited as co–respondent in a divorce case, in 1890; married the woman concerned (Katharine 'Kitty' O'Shea) in June 1891, but died four months later, aged 45, from a heart attack			Charles Stewart Parnell
Conservative MP for West Derbyshire, 1979–86: attempted (and failed) to live off the standard Supplementary Benefit allowance for a single adult, in 1984, for an ITV World in Action documentary; resigned his seat to take over from Brian Walden as presenter of ITV's Weekend World; parliamentary sketch writer for The Times, 1988–2001; 'outed'Peter Mandelson on BBC2's Newsnight, in 1998; presenter of Great Lives on BBC Radio 4, from 2006			Matthew Parris
Conservative MP for North Shropshire, and Cabinet member under Cameron: resigned as an MP in November 2021, after the Johnson government abandoned its plans to protect him from being punished by Parliament for breaking paid advocacy rules			Owen Paterson
Future Prime Minister (1841–6): founded the Metropolitan Police – the world's first police force – in 1829, when Home Secretary			Sir Robert Peel
Government whip under Johnson: resigned in 2022, after being accused of sexually assaulting two men the night before at the Carlton Club (in St James's, London); he admitted that he'd "drunk far too much" and "embarrassed [him]self and other people"			Chris Pincher
Defence Secretary, 1995–7 (and Employment Secretary 1994–5): defeated by Labour's Stephen Twigg in the 1997 general election (Enfield Southgate constituency)			Michael Portillo
Tory member for Wolverhampton South West, 1950–74, and Ulster Unionist for Down South, 1974–87; remembered for his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech of 1968, arguing against Commonwealth immigration into Britain; died 1998 aged 85			Enoch Powell
Education Secretary under Wilson, 1972–4: defected to the Conservatives in 1977, in protest over Labour's drift to the left; Minister for the Disabled under Thatcher, 1979–81			Reg Prentice
Deputy Prime Minister under Blair (1997–2007): involved in "the Rumble in Rhyl" in 2001, when he punched a member of the public (farm worker Craig Evans, who later said he was "angry at the lack of support for farmers and farm workers" during the Foot & Mouth crisis) who threw an egg at him			John Prescott
Admitted having a two–year affair with his diary secretary Tracy Temple, in 2006
Northern Ireland Secretary, refused to resign in 1983 when over 30 IRA prisoners escaped			James Prior
Tory MP for Billericay, resigned days before pleading guilty to gross indecency (1987)			Harvey Proctor
Secretary of State for War, resigned in 1963 after admitting having a sexual relationship with the 19–year–old model Christine Keeler			John Profumo
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Brexit Secretary) for 129 days – replacing David Davies on 9 July 2018, resigned on 15 November 2018 (citing his disapproval of the Cabinet position on the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement); replaced next day by Stephen Barclay			Dominic Raab
First Labour Prime Minister (1924)			James Ramsey MacDonald
Tory MP for Rochester and Strood, 2010–14: joined UKIP in September 2014, and was elected as a UKIP MP at the resultant by–election in November 2014; lost his seat to the Tory candidate in the 2015 general election; elected to the Welsh Assembly in May 2015			Mark Reckless
Embarrassingly failed to mime to the Welsh national anthem, in 1993, when Secretary of State for Wales; challenged John Major for the Conservative leadership in 1995 (after Major invited his detractors within the party to "put up or shut up"); also stood following Major's resignation in the wake of the 1997 election defeat, but finished third behind William Hague and Ken Clarke			John Redwood
Trade and Industry Secretary, resigned in 1991 after questioning Germany's motivation in supporting the Exchange Rate Mechanism			Nicholas Ridley
As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, negotiated Britain's entry into the EEC (1970–1)			Geoffrey Rippon
As Tony Blair's Paymaster General, lent £373,000 to Peter Mandelson to enable him to buy a house			Geoffrey Robinson
The first Jewish MP: a member of a prominent banking family, he represented the City of London 1847–68 and 1869–74			Lionel de Rothschild
Resigned as Home Secretary on 29 April 2018, after misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee over deportation targets (the "Windrush scandal"); appointed as Work and Pensions secretary 201 days later, to replace Esther McVey who resigned in protest at Theresa May's Draft (Brexit) Withdrawal Agreement; resigned from that post and quit the Conservative Party, on 7 September 2019, over Boris Johnson's "purge" of the party and his failure to pursue a deal with the EU			Amber Rudd
Became an MP in 1987 after four years as Chair of CND (1981–5)			Joan Ruddock
Tory Deputy Chairman, stood down as executive director of a lobby firm in October 1994			Angela Rumbold
Elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, in 1981; died within a month having never taken his seat			Bobby Sands
Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, 1983–2010: resigned as party spokesperson during the 1991 Gulf War, in protest at the party's support of military action; resigned as International Development Secretary in 2003, after criticising the Blair government's decision to invade Iraq without a clear mandate from the United Nations; resigned the Labour whip in 2006; stood down at the 2010 general election			Clare Short
Deputy leader of the Labour party under Wilson: pioneered the payment of money to Opposition parties, now named after him (Short Money)			Edward Short
Liverpool–born Labour MP: elected for Nelson & Colne in 1935; one of the founders of CND; introduced a Private Member's Bill to abolish the death penalty in 1956, which was passed on a free vote in the Commons but defeated in the Lords; steered a second Private Member's Bill – the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act – through parliament in 1965; died in 1968			Sidney Silverman
Labour MP for Bolsover, 1970–19: son of a miner, and a former miner himself; noted for his left–wing and republican views, his acerbic wit, and for never missing a Commons session; suspended from Parliament on at least ten occasions, including in 2016 for referring to David Cameron as "Dodgy Dave" in relation to the latter's tax affairs; became the longest continuously–serving Labour MP in history, in 2017, but lost his seat in the 2019 General Election			Dennis Skinner
Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, 1893–2005; Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, 1997–2001			Chris Smith
The first MP to become a "Compleat Munroist"
The first British MP to "come out" as gay (1984), and announced in Jan 2005 that he was HIV positive; stepped down at the 2008 general election and was awarded a life peerage
"Larger–than–life" Liberal MP for Rochdale, 1972–92; died in 2010, aged 82			Cyril Smith
Appointed Shadow Work & Pensions Secretary by Jeremy Corbyn in 2015; stood against him in the 2016 leadership election (was the only candidate to oppose Corbyn, after Angela Eagle pulled out)			Owen Smith
MP for Crawley, 1983–97, and Mid Sussex 1997–: grandson of a former Prime Minister (by his daughter Mary)			Sir Nicholas Soames
The last Postmaster General (1968–9); faked his own suicide in Miami, 1974; discovered in Melbourne a month later (Australian police thought he was Lord Lucan!)			John Stonehouse
Sacked by Labour 1973; later won a by–election as an Independent			Dick Taverne
Rescued in his pyjamas from the Grand Hotel, Brighton, after the IRA bomb during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference, which left his wife permanently disabled; he left the Cabinet three years later to care for her			Norman Tebbitt
Daughter of an international lawyer who became Assistant Secretary–General of the United Nations; married lawyer Christopher Nugee, who became a High Court judge in 2013 and was knighted in 2014 – making her Lady Nugee			Emily Thornberry
Resigned as Labour's Shadow Attorney General, in November 2014, following a controversial tweet in the run–up to the Rochester and Strood by–election
Leader of the Liberal party, 1967–76; lost his seat before being acquitted of conspiracy to murder former stable hand and male model Norman Scott			Jeremy Thorpe
MP for Leicester South since 1987; the first government minister of Asian origin (Minister of State for Europe, 1999–2001); real first name Nigel; his sister Valerie became MP for Walsall South in 2010			Keith Vaz
Conservative MP for Gosport, 1974–2010: stood down after the expenses investigation revealed that he had claimed more than £30,000, over three years, for "gardening expenses" – including a £1,645 "pond feature", which was identified as a "floating duck island" (but was probably rejected as an expense)			Peter Viggers
Elected as Conservative MP for Bury South in the December 2019; crossed the floor to Labour in January 2022 – "partygate" being the final straw in his disillusionment with the Johnson administration			Christian Wakeford
Resigned from David Cameron's cabinet (Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and Minister of State for Faith and Communities), in August 2014, in protest at the Government's policy in respect of the Gaza conflict			Baroness Warsi
Postmaster General responsible for the Marine Offences Act (1967) which outlawed pirate radio stations			Anthony Wedgwood Benn
Margaret Thatcher's Deputy Prime Minister, 1979–88 – resigned due to ill health; died in 1999 aged 81			William Whitelaw
MP for Hull 1780–4, Yorkshire 1784–1812, Bramber (a rotten borough in Sussex) 1812–25; led the campaign to abolish slavery; lodged the Slave Trade Act (passed 1807)			William Wilberforce
As Minister of Education in Atlee's government (from 1945 until her death in 1947), raised the school leaving age from 14 to 15 and introduced free school milk; previously (as MP for Jarrow) played a prominent role in the 1936 Jarrow March			Ellen Wilkinson
The SDP's first elected MP (Crosby)			Shirley Williams
Resigned as Board of Trade President in 1951, after Chancellor Gaitskell imposed charges on false teeth and spectacles to fund the Korean War (see Nye Bevan)			Harold Wilson
Environment Minister, resigned during John Major's 'Back to Basics' campaign (1995) after admitting he had an illegitimate child			Tim Yeo

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24