Ivor Bulmer-Thomas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Air Ministry | |
| In office 10 August 1945 – 4 October 1946 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 4 October 1946 – 1947 | |
| Member of Parliament for Keighley | |
| In office 13 February 1942 – 3 February 1950 | |
| Preceded by | Hastings Lees-Smith |
| Succeeded by | Charles Hobson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ivor Thomas 30 November 1905 |
| Died | 7 October 1993 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour (until 1948) Conservative (1949–81) SDP (from 1981) |
Ivor Bulmer-Thomas CBE FSA (30 November 1905 – 7 October 1993), born Ivor Thomas, was a British journalist and scientific writer who served eight years as a Member of Parliament (MP). His career was much influenced by his conversion to the Church of England in his youth, and he became a pious believer on the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church.
A brilliant scholar and champion athlete while at university, Bulmer-Thomas wrote biographies and worked as a sub-editor on The Times during his early life. His experience in wartime Italian propaganda led him to doubt its[clarification needed] value. Serving in the Attlee Labour Party government in junior roles made him resent the influence of the Labour left; he fell out with party policy on nationalisation and moved to the Conservative Party. He was a workaholic and after leaving politics he became a leading layman in the Church of England; an interest in historic buildings led him to set up the Friends of Friendless Churches group, which campaigns to prevent churches falling into disuse, and play a key role in founding the charity known today as The Churches Conservation Trust.