Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler

Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler (born 13 January 1934) was a British politician, most notable for being the sole Conservative Member of Parliament to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Brocklebank-Fowler entered Parliament as a Conservative MP at the 1970 general election, representing the constituency of King's Lynn. This seat was abolished at the February 1974 general election, when Brocklebank-Fowler was elected for the new North West Norfolk seat.

In 1981, Brocklebank-Fowler defected to the SDP in somewhat dramatic fashion, crossing the floor during a parliamentary debate on the budget to join the tiny Social Democratic grouping (then numbering only twelve members of parliament, all defectors from Labour).^[1] However, at the 1983 general election the Conservatives regained North West Norfolk with a majority of about 3,000. Brocklebank-Fowler contested the seat again at the 1987 general election, but lost by a much wider margin.

After the SDP's merger with the Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats, Brocklebank-Fowler contested the South Norfolk constituency at the 1992 general election, but once again finished second.

In 1996, Brocklebank-Fowler joined the Labour Party. His voyage from the centre-right to the centre-left of the political continuum was in direct contradiction to the political journey made by his former SDP colleague John Horam, who, having been elected as a Labour MP in 1970, was to leave the SDP in 1987 and join the Conservatives. Unlike Brocklebank-Fowler, Horam was to make it back into parliament representing his new party and sat as the member for Orpington from 1992 to 2010.

References

1. ^ Crewe, Ivor and King, Anthony, SDP: The Birth, Life and Death of the Social Democratic Party (Oxford University Press, 1995), p.99.

• Who's Who 2003 (A&C Black Ltd.)

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Derek Page	Member of Parliament for King's Lynn 1970–Feb 1974	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk Feb 1974–1983	Succeeded by Henry Bellingham

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Name	Brocklebank-Fowler, Christopher
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Date of birth	13 January 1934
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