Early life
Born in Dumfermline, Cunningham was educated at Dunfermline High School, Blackpool Grammar School and the Victoria University of Manchester, University of Manchester. He worked for the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party as its Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth officer.Political career
Cunningham contested Henley (UK Parliament constituency), Henley at the 1966 United Kingdom general election, 1966 general election as the Labour candidate. He was first elected as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South West (UK Parliament constituency), Islington South West at the 1970 United Kingdom general election, 1970 general election. After boundary changes, he was elected for Islington South and Finsbury (UK Parliament constituency), Islington South and Finsbury at the February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 election. Cunningham strongly opposed Scottish devolution. At his prompting, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons accepted an amendment to the Scotland Act 1978 that a majority voting "yes" in 1979 Scottish devolution referendum, the 1979 referendum on establishing a devolved Assembly would have to constitute at least 40 per cent of the Scottish electorate, without which the proposal could be withdrawn and the Act repealed by Statutory instrument (UK), statutory instrument. Although “yes” won a majority of those voting in the referendum, as the "yes" constituted only 32.9 per cent of the electorate, the Labour government decided it would not proceed with devolution. This prompted the Scottish National Party to withdraw its support for the minority government. The Conservative Party (UK), Conservative opposition then tabled a motion of no confidence, in which the 1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry, government was defeated by one vote. The Conservative Party, which was opposed to devolution, won 1979 United Kingdom general election, the subsequent general election; the Scotland Act was repealed in June 1979.Social Democratic Party
In November 1981, Cunningham resigned from the Labour Party and sat as an independent Labour MP, before becoming one of the later ex-Labour defectors to the recently founded Social Democratic Party (UK), Social Democratic Party in June 1982. Cunningham lost his seat by just 363 votes (1%) at the 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 general election to Labour candidate Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, Chris Smith. He contested the seat again at the 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 general election when he lost by a similarly narrow margin (the only defecting former Labour MP who came close to regaining their seat that year) and never re-entered the House of Commons.Personal life
Cunningham married Mavis Walton in 1957 and they had two children, Andrew and Helen. Mavis, who unsuccessfully contested Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency), Twickenham for Labour in the October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 election, pre-deceased her husband. Cunningham died in 2018 afterSee also
*Scotland Act 1978 *1979 Welsh devolution referendumReferences
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