Denis Nowell Pritt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Pritt acting as a foreign observer at the trial in absentia of Hans Globke in East Germany, 1963 | |
| Member of Parliament for Hammersmith North | |
| In office 14 November 1935 – 3 February 1950 | |
| Preceded by | Fielding Reginald West |
| Succeeded by | Frank Tomney |
| Chairman of the Labour Independent Group | |
| In office May 1949 – 23 February 1950 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 September 1887 Harlesden, Middlesex |
| Died | 23 May 1972 (aged 84) Pamber Heath, Hampshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour (1918–1940) |
| Other political affiliations | Labour Independent Group |
| Alma mater | University of London |
| Profession | Barrister |
Denis Nowell Pritt, QC (22 September 1887 – 23 May 1972) was a British barrister and left-wing Labour Party politician. Born in Harlesden, Middlesex, he was educated at Winchester College and the University of London.
A member of the Labour Party from 1918, he was a defender of the Soviet Union. In 1932, as part of G. D. H. Cole's New Fabian Research Bureau's expert commission of enquiry, he visited the Soviet Union, and, according to Margaret Cole, "the eminent KC swallowed it all".[1] Pritt was expelled from the Labour Party in March 1940 following his support of the Soviet invasion of Finland.[2]
Pritt was characterised by George Orwell as "perhaps the most effective pro-Soviet publicist in this country".[2]
- ^ Contemporary letter to G. D. H. Cole cited in Kevin Morgan, The Webbs and Soviet Communism, London: Lawrence & Wishart, 2006, pg. 77
- ^ a b Morgan, Kevin (2009). "Pritt, Denis Nowell (1887–1972)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31570. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)