Edward Graham

Thomas Edward (Ted) Graham, Baron Graham of Edmonton, PC (born 26 March 1925) is a Labour Co-operative politician.

Graham was educated at the Co-operative College and held several positions in the co-operative movement from 1939, becoming National Secretary for the Co-operative Party. He was a councillor on Enfield Borough Council from 1961, joining the new London Borough of Enfield in 1964 and becoming its leader for ten years.

Graham contested Enfield West in 1966.He was Member of Parliament for Edmonton from February 1974 to 1983, when he lost the seat to Dr Ian Twinn as part of Labour's landslide election defeat that year. He served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection 1974-76, a government whip from 1976 to 1979 as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. He was an opposition spokesman on the environment 1980-83.

After losing his House of Commons seat, Graham was given a life peerage as Baron Graham of Edmonton, of Edmonton in Greater London. He was Labour Chief Whip 1990-97. He has been chair of the UK Co-operative Council and served as President of the 1987 Co-operative Congress.Citation | title = Congress Presidents 1869-2002| url =http://archive.co-op.ac.uk/downloadFiles/congressPresidentstable.pdf|date=February 2002| accessdate =2008-05-10] He is President of the Institute of Meat and Patron of the Ancient Order of Foresters, and of Edmonton Constituency Labour Party.

Lord Graham of Edmonton is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.

Graham's cousin, Oona King, also became a Labour Member of Parliament.

Political career

On 18 December 1987, was the only Peer in the House of Lords to speak against Lord Halsbury's Local Government Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill, which sought to prohibit the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities. This bill subsequently became law as Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, when it was reintroduced by David Wilshire MP in the Commons.

References

*"Times Guide to the House of Commons", 1966 & 1983
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