Dennis Skinner | |
|---|---|
 Skinner in 2011 | |
| Honorary President of the Socialist Campaign Group | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Member of Parliament for Bolsover | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Harold Neal |
| Succeeded by | Mark Fletcher |
| Chair of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party | |
| In office 7 October 1988 – 6 October 1989 | |
| Leader | Neil Kinnock |
| Preceded by | Neil Kinnock |
| Succeeded by | Jo Richardson |
| President of the Derbyshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers | |
| In office June 1966 – 25 June 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Parkin |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Ellis (1972) |
| Alderman on Clay Cross Urban District Council | |
| In office 1962–1970 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dennis Edward Skinner 11 February 1932 Clay Cross, Derbyshire, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Campaign Group (1982–present) |
| Spouse |
Mary Parker
(m. 1960; sep. 1989) |
| Domestic partner | Lois Blasenheim |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Ruskin College |
| Profession | Miner, politician |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname | Beast of Bolsover |
Dennis Edward Skinner (born 11 February 1932) is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolsover for 49 years, from 1970 to 2019.[1] A member of the Labour Party, he is known for his left-wing views and republican sentiments.[2] Before entering Parliament, he worked for more than 20 years as a coal miner.
Nicknamed the "Beast of Bolsover", Skinner belonged to the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.[3][4][5] He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, with brief breaks, for 30 years, and was the committee's chairman from 1988 to 1989.[6] He was one of the longest serving members of the House of Commons and the longest continuously serving Labour MP.[7] A lifelong Eurosceptic, Skinner voted for the UK to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum.[8] Skinner lost his seat to Mark Fletcher of the Conservative Party, and was succeeded as the Labour candidate for Bolsover by Natalie Fleet.
During his parliamentary career, Skinner was suspended from Parliament on at least ten occasions, usually for using unparliamentary language when attacking opponents. He was also known for regularly heckling upon the arrival of Black Rod in the House of Commons chamber during the State Opening of Parliament. During most of his tenure in the Commons (in the years where the Labour Party were in opposition), Skinner would usually sit on the first seat of the front bench below the gangway in the Commons in a tweed jacket and signature red tie. During the New Labour government from 1997 to 2010, Skinner sat in the equivalent spot on the government benches.
- ^ "Mr Dennis Skinner". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Parliamentary career for Mr Dennis Skinner – MPs and Lords". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ Broomhead, Michael (24 November 2014). "Profile: Dennis Skinner, The Beast of Bolsover, 5 of his Best Quotes". The Star. London. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ "Dennis Skinner quotes: the Beast of Bolsover in full flow" Archived 13 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The Week, 25 February 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ^ Hastings, Chris. "Dennis Skinner: claimed for accountants' fees on MPs' expenses". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Mr Dennis Skinner MP". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Dennis Skinner". Ruskin College. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ Pidd, Helen (8 January 2019). "'The way the EU treated the UK opened my eyes': Bolsover's Brexit". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.