George Martin Morton (born 11 February 1940) is a retired Labour Party politician in the

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. Morton was educated at

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, Edinburgh, and

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. He was an elected member of Manchester City Council and of

Greater Manchester Council The Greater Manchester County Council (GMCC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater Manchester from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilities for roads, public transport, planning, emergency services ...

in the early-1970s. Morton was elected as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Manchester Moss Side at a by-election in 1978 following the death of

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MP Frank Hatton. He served until the constituency was abolished in boundary changes for the 1983 general election, and failed to be selected for another Manchester seat. After Labour went into opposition following the 1979 general election, Morton served in the Labour Whips' Office and on Standing Committees on home affairs bills. He was noted for his support for civil liberties, including gay rights, and he spoke out on "miscarriage of justice" cases. He pleaded guilty to an act of gross indecency in a public toilet in Manchester in November 1980 and was fined £25. The chairman of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP) announced that he had complete confidence in him and that this was a private matter. Prior to his election to Parliament, Morton worked as a local authority architect/planner, and he returned to this profession after leaving the House of Commons.

References

* *Fred Emery, "Labour hold two seats with smaller majorities", ''The Times'', London, 14 July 1978, p. 1. *John Chartres, "Hard work on streets of Moss Side brought Labour victory", ''The Times'', London, 15 July 1978, p. 2. *"MP to speak at 'gay' rally today", ''The Times'', London, 28 February 1981, p. 2. *Peter Evans, "Father and son serving life said to be innocent", ''The Times'', London, 14 April 1982, p. 3. *Anthony Bevins, "Labour reallocates seats with speed", ''The Times'', 13 April 1983, p. 2. *"Morton, George Martin", ''Who's Who'', A&C Black, London, January 2007.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, George 1940 births Living people Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 People educated at Fettes College English LGBT politicians British politicians convicted of crimes LGBT members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Scottish architects