Peter Crampton (politician)
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Peter Crampton | |
|---|---|
 Crampton in 1994 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 1989 – 20 July 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Battersby |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | Humberside |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 June 1932 Blackpool, United Kingdom |
| Party | Labour |
| Children | 2 (including Robert) |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham |
Peter Crampton (10 June 1932 – 12 July 2011) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1989 to 1999 representing the Humberside constituency.[1] He was also the father of Times journalist Robert Crampton.
He was born in Blackpool[2][3] in 1932 and educated at Blackpool Grammar School and the University of Nottingham. He was a teacher and lecturer of geography.[4] He married a geography teacher from London in 1955.[4][5] They had two sons, born in 1962 and 1964. After a spell in Solihull, in 1970 the family moved to Hull so he could take up a post at Hull College of Higher Education (now merged into the University of Lincoln).[6] In Hull he was active in Labour politics.[7]
He retired from teaching in 1988 and was briefly a parliamentary researcher for MP Joan Ruddock.[8] He was MEP for the Humberside constituency from 1989 until he stood down at the 1999 election.[9][10]
In 1995 he was one of 32 MEPs who placed an advertisement in The Guardian opposing the plans of then Labour leader Tony Blair to re-write Clause 4 of the Labour constitution.[11]
Crampton was a socialist, influenced by Methodism. Described in his obituary as a "peace campaigner whose tranquil demeanour masked a ferocious commitment to the cause," he opposed the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War,[12] and played an active part the Stop the War Coalition.[8] Crampton was also involved in a campaign against the Trident nuclear deterrent.[13]
