Joan Lestor, Baroness Lestor of Eccles (13 November 1931 – 27 March 1998) was a British Labour politician.

Early life

Lestor was educated at Blaenavon Secondary School,

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

; William Morris High School,

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London and the ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Charing Cross, the town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and Sout ...

and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. She became a nursery school teacher and a member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, but resigned from the latter over the

Turner Controversy The Turner Controversy was a dispute within the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) regarding the nature of socialism instigated by party member Tony Turner. The dispute ultimately led to an exodus of members who formed the short-lived Movement ...

. She became a councillor in 1958 on the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth and later the

London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth Town. The borough border ...

. She served on

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

, losing in Lewisham West at the 1961 election, but winning a by-election to represent Wandsworth Central from 1962 until 1964.

Parliamentary career

Lestor contested Lewisham West in 1964 and was elected Member of Parliament for Eton and Slough in 1966. She was briefly a junior minister from 1969–70 with responsibility for nursery education. In March 1974 she became the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and in June 1975 moved back to Education as Under-Secretary of State, for Education and Science. In March 1976 she resigned over cuts. Lestor was one of the founding editors of anti-fascist monthly, ''Searchlight'', though that magazine had only a tenuous connection to the current publication. After boundary changes in 1983, Lestor contested the new constituency of

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the ...

but was defeated by the Conservative candidate John Watts.

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...

, who became leader of the Labour Party shortly after the election said he was "heartbroken" by Lestor's defeat. Lestor blamed the SDP for her defeat. No longer an MP, Lestor worked for the

World Development Movement Global Justice Now, formerly known as the World Development Movement (WDM), is a membership organisation based in the United Kingdom which campaigns on issues of global justice and development in the Global South. The organisation produces r ...

, campaigning for

child welfare Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to ...

and setting up a unit to investigate

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

, including

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

, an area neglected by mainstream politicians at the time. She was returned for Eccles in 1987, and held this seat until 1997. She served in the shadow cabinet between 1989 and 1996 firstly as Shadow Spokesperson for Children and Families and subsequently as

Shadow Minister for Overseas Development The shadow cabinet minister for international development is the lead spokesperson for the United Kingdom's Official Opposition on issues related to international aid, most notably to the third world. The shadow cabinet minister holds the Minist ...

. She resigned on 25 July 1996 after announcing that she was not seeking re-election at the next election.

House of Lords

On 4 June 1997, Lestor was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as Baroness Lestor of Eccles, of Tooting Bec in the

, nine months before her death from

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lestor, Joan 1931 births 1998 deaths Deaths from motor neuron disease Neurological disease deaths in the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council Councillors in the London Borough of Wandsworth Members of London County Council British humanitarians Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Lestor of Eccles Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Fabian Society People from Slough UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 Socialist Party of Great Britain members Government and politics of Slough Alumni of the University of London Chairs of the Labour Party (UK) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Berkshire Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Greater Manchester 20th-century British women politicians Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970 20th-century English women 20th-century English people Women councillors in England