Michael Thomas (politician)

For other people named Michael Thomas, see Michael Thomas (disambiguation).

Michael Stuart Thomas, known as Mike Thomas, (born 24 May 1944) is a British politician.He was originally elected Labour Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne East in the October 1974 general election. In 1981 Thomas was among a number of Labour MPs who defected to the new Social Democratic Party.

Along with Ian Wrigglesworth he was credited with masterminding the party's successful launch. He quickly became known for his aggressive loyalty to David Owen and obduracy in the seat negotiations with the Liberals. Roy Jenkins referred to him as the "pint-sized Pavarotti". He sought re-election in 1983, but could only come a strong third place with 27% of the vote. Labour's Nick Brown won with a majority of over 7,000.^[1] He tried again in Exeter in 1987 and came second. After the merger of the SDP into the Liberal Democrats, he set up his own public relations firm.

References

1. ^ Not updated: UK General Election results: June 1983

• Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1983*
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Mike Thomas

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Geoffrey William Rhodes	Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne East October 1974–1983	Succeeded by Nick Brown

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Name	Thomas, Michael
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Date of birth	24 May 1944
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