Ronald Atkins | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Preston North | |
| In office 28 February 1974 – 7 April 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Holt |
| Succeeded by | Robert Atkins |
| In office 31 March 1966 – 29 May 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Julian Amery |
| Succeeded by | Mary Holt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Henry Atkins 13 June 1916 Barry, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 30 December 2020 (aged 104) Avenham, Preston, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouses | Jesse Scott
(m. 1950; div. 1979)Elizabeth Wildgoose (m. 2012) |
| Children | 5, including Charlotte |
| Education | Barry Grammar School |
| Alma mater | University of London |
Ronald Henry Atkins (13 June 1916 – 30 December 2020) was a British Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Preston North for two terms: from 1966 until 1970, and from February 1974 until 1979. His career in British politics spanned nearly sixty years, from 1951 to 2010, including several decades as a councillor in local government, and nine as a Member of Parliament.[1]
A member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Atkins took part in the Aldermaston marches, opposed the American war in Vietnam, and was a member of the Tribune group of left-wing Labour MPs. He also supported the campaigns by Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn to lead the Labour Party.[2] In the course of his career, Atkins helped bring a polytechnic educational facility to Preston, which later became the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).[3]
From 2018 until his death, he was the oldest living former MP. He also became the longest-lived British MP with a registered date of birth, surviving to the age of 104.[4][5]
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