Wikipedia

Neil Kinnock

Not to be confused withNile Kinnick.

Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock,PC(born 28 March 1942) is a Welsh politician who wasLeader of the OppositionandLeader of the Labour Partyfrom1983to1992.[1]He was aMember of Parliament(MP) from 1970 to 1995, first forBedwelltyand then forIslwyn.He wasVice-President of the European Commissionfrom 1999 to 2004. Kinnock was considered to be on thesoft leftof the Labour Party.

The Right Honourable
The Lord Kinnock
PC
Official portrait, 1995
Vice-President of the European Commission
In office
16 September 1999 – 21 November 2004
Serving withLoyola de Palacio
PresidentRomano Prodi
European Commissioner for Administrative Reform
In office
16 September 1999 – 21 November 2004
PresidentRomano Prodi
Preceded byErkki Liikanen
Succeeded bySiim Kallas
European Commissioner for Transport
In office
16 February 1995 – 16 September 1999
PresidentJacques Santer
Manuel Marín(acting)
Preceded byKarel Van Miert
Succeeded byLoyola de Palacio
Leader of the Opposition
In office
2 October 1983 – 18 July 1992
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded byMichael Foot
Succeeded byJohn Smith
Leader of the Labour Party
In office
2 October 1983 – 18 July 1992
DeputyRoy Hattersley
Preceded byMichael Foot
Succeeded byJohn Smith
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science
In office
14 July 1979 – 2 October 1983
LeaderJames Callaghan
Michael Foot
Preceded byGordon Oakes
Succeeded byGiles Radice
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage
28 January 2005
Member of Parliament
forIslwyn
Bedwellty(1970–1983)
In office
18 June 1970 – 20 January 1995
Preceded byHarold Finch
Succeeded byDon Touhig
Personal details
Born
Neil Gordon Kinnock

(1942-03-28)28 March 1942(age 82)
Tredegar,Wales
Political partyLabour
Spouse
​
​
(m.1967; died 2023)​
Children2, includingStephen
Alma materCardiff University
Signature
Neil Kinnock's voice
Kinnock presents proposals to theEuropean Commissionon modernising itshuman resourcespolicy
Recorded 30 October 2001

Born and raised inSouth Wales,Kinnock was first elected to theHouse of Commonsin the1970 general election.He became the Labour Party's shadow education minister after the Conservatives won power in the1979 general election.After the party underMichael Footsuffered alandslidedefeat toMargaret Thatcherin the1983 election,Kinnock was elected Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition. During his tenure as leader, Kinnock proceeded to fight the party'sleft wing,especially theMilitant tendency,and he opposedNUMleaderArthur Scargill's methods in the1984–1985 miners' strike.He led the party during most of theThatcher government,which included its third successive election defeat when Thatcher won the1987 general election.Although Thatcher had won another landslide, Labour regained sufficient seats for Kinnock to remain Leader of the Opposition following the election.

Kinnock led the Labour Party to a surprise fourth consecutive defeat at the1992 general election,despite the party being ahead ofJohn Major's Conservative government in most opinion polls, which had predicted either a narrow Labour victory or ahung parliament.Shortly afterwards, he resigned as Leader of the Labour Party; he was succeeded inthe ensuing leadership electionbyJohn Smith.He left theHouse of Commonsin 1995 to become aEuropean Commissioner.He went on to becomeVice-President of the European CommissionunderRomano Prodifrom 1999 to 2004, before being elevated to theHouse of Lordsas Baron Kinnock in 2005. Until the summer of 2009, he was also the chairman of theBritish Counciland the president ofCardiff University.[2]

Early life

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Kinnock, an only child, was born inTredegar,Waleson Saturday 28 March 1942.[3]His father, Gordon Herbert Kinnock was a formercoal minerwho later worked as a labourer; and his mother Mary Kinnock (née Howells) was a district nurse.[4][5][6]Gordon died of aheart attackin November 1971 aged 64;[7]Mary died the following month aged 61.[7]

In 1953, at eleven years old, Kinnock began hissecondary educationatLewis School, Pengam,which he later criticised for its record oncaning.He went on to theUniversity College of South Wales and Monmouthshirein Cardiff (now Cardiff University), where he graduated in 1965 with a degree in Industrial Relations and History. The following year, Kinnock obtained a postgraduate diploma in education. Between August 1966 and May 1970, he worked as a tutor for aWorkers' Educational Association(WEA).[8]

He marriedGlenys Kinnockin 1967. They have two children – sonStephen Kinnock(born January 1970, now aLabourMP), and daughter Rachel Kinnock (born 1971).[9]Glenys died on 3 December 2023.

Member of Parliament

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In June 1969, Kinnock won the Labour Party nomination forBedwelltyinSouth Wales,which becameIslwynfor the1983 general election.He was first elected to theHouse of Commonson 18 June 1970, and became a member of theNational Executive Committee of the Labour Partyin October 1978. Upon his becoming an MP, his father said "Remember Neil, MP stands not just for Member of Parliament, but also for Man of Principle."

In the1975 referendum on Britain's membership of the European Communities,Kinnock campaigned for Britain to leave the Common Market.[10]Following Labour's defeat at the1979 general election,James Callaghanappointed Kinnock to theShadow cabinetas education spokesman. His ambition was noted by other MPs, andDavid Owen's opposition to the changes to theelectoral collegewas thought to be motivated by the realisation that they would favour Kinnock's succession. Kinnock remained as education spokesman following the resignation of Callaghan as Leader of the Labour Party and the election ofMichael Footas his successor in late 1980.

In 1981, while still serving as Labour's education spokesman, Kinnock was alleged to have effectively scupperedTony Benn's attempt to replaceDenis Healeyas Labour's Deputy Leader by first supporting the candidacy of the more traditionalist TribuniteJohn Silkinand then urging Silkin supporters to abstain on the second, run-off, ballot.

Kinnock was known as aleft-winger,and gained prominence for his attacks onMargaret Thatcher's handling of theFalklands Warin 1982.

Leadership of the Labour Party

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See also:Shadow Cabinet of Neil Kinnock

First period (1983–1987)

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Kinnock meeting Dutch Labour Party leaderJoop den Uylin 1984

Following Labour's landslide defeat at the1983 general election,Michael Footresigned as Leader of the Labour Party aged 69, and from the outset; it was expected that the much younger Kinnock would succeed him. He was finallyelected as Labour Party leaderon 2 October 1983, with 71% of the vote, andRoy Hattersleywas elected as his deputy; their prospective partnership was considered to be a "dream ticket".[11]

His first period as party leader between the1983and1987 general electionswas dominated by his struggle with thehard-leftMilitant tendency,then still a dominant force in the party. Kinnock was determined to move the party's political standing to a morecentristposition, in order to improve its chances of winning a future general election.[12]Although Kinnock had come from theTribuneleft wingof the party, he parted company with many of his former allies following his appointment to the Shadow Cabinet.

The Labour Party was also threatened by the rise of theSocial Democratic Party/Liberal Alliance,which pulled out more centrist adherents. On a broader perspective, the traditional Labour voter was disappearing[citation needed]in the face of de-industrialisation that the Conservative government had accepted since 1979.[citation needed]Kinnock focused on modernising the party, and upgrading its technical skills such as use of the media and keeping track of voters, while at the same time battling the Militants. Under his leadership, the Labour Party abandoned unpopular old positions, especially thenationalisationof certain industries, although this process was not completed until future party leaderTony BlairrevampedClause IVin the party's manifesto in 1995. He stressed economic growth, which had a much broader appeal to themiddle classthan the idea of redistributing wealth to benefit the poor. He accepted membership in theEuropean Economic Community,whereas the party had pledged immediate withdrawal from it underMichael Foot.He discarded the rhetoric of class warfare.[13]

These actions meant that Kinnock had made plenty of enemies on the left wing of the party by the time he was elected as leader, though a substantial number of former Bennites gave him strong support. He was almost immediately in serious difficulty as a result ofArthur Scargill's decision to lead his union, theNational Union of Mineworkers(NUM) into a national strike (in opposition to pit closures) without a nationwide ballot. The NUM was widely regarded as the labour movement'spraetorian guardand the strike convulsed the Labour movement.[who?]Kinnock supported the aim of the strike – which he dubbed the "case for coal" – but, as an MP from a mining area, was bitterly critical of the tactics employed. When heckled at a Labour Party rally for referring to thekilling of David Wilkieas "an outrage", Kinnock lost his temper and accused the hecklers of "living like parasites off the struggle of the miners" and implied that Scargill had lied to the striking miners.[14]In 1985, he made his criticisms public in a speech to Labour's conference:[15]

The strike wore on. The violence built up because the single tactic chosen was that of mass picketing, and so we saw policing on a scale and with a system that has never been seen in Britain before. The court actions came, and by the attitude to the court actions, the NUM leadership ensured that they would face crippling damages as a consequence. To the question: "How did this position arise?", the man from the lodge in my constituency said: "It arose because nobody really thought it out."

In 2004, Kinnock said of Scargill, "Oh I detest him. I did then, I do now, and it's mutual. He hates me as well. And I'd much prefer to have his savage hatred than even the merest hint of friendship from that man."[16]Kinnock blamed Scargill for some of the mine closures.[17]

The strike's defeat early in the year,[18]and the bad publicity associated with theentryismpractised by the TrotskyistMilitantgroup were the immediate context for the 1985 Labour Party conference.[19]Earlier in the year, left-wing councils hadprotested at Government restriction of their budgetsby refusing to set budgets, resulting in a budget crisis in the Militant-dominatedLiverpool City Council.Kinnock attacked Militant and their conduct in a speech delivered at the conference:

I'll tell you what happens with impossible promises. You start with far-fetched resolutions. They are then pickled into a rigid dogma, a code, and you go through the years sticking to that, outdated, misplaced, irrelevant to the real needs, and you end in the grotesque chaos of a Labour council – aLabourcouncil – hiring taxis to scuttle round a city handing out redundancy notices to its own workers... I am telling you, no matter how entertaining, how fulfilling to short-term egos – you can't play politics with people's jobs and with people's services or with their homes.[20]

One Liverpool MP,Eric Heffer,a member of the NEC left the conference stage in disgust at Kinnock's comments.[21]In June 1986, the Labour Party finally expelled the deputy leader of Liverpool council, the high-profile Militant supporterDerek Hatton,who was found guilty of "manipulating the rules of the district Labour party".[22]By 1986, the party's position appeared to strengthen further with excellent local election results and a thoroughrebrandingof the party under the direction of Kinnock's director of communicationsPeter Mandelson,as well as seizing theFulhamseat inWest Londonfrom the Conservatives at an April by-election.[23]Labour, now sporting a continentalsocial democraticstyle emblem of arose(replacing the party's first logo, the Liberty logo), appeared to be able to run the governingConservativesclose, butMargaret Thatcherdid not let Labour's makeover go unchallenged.

The Conservatives's 1986 conference was well-managed, and effectively relaunched the Conservatives as a party of radicalfree-marketeconomic liberalism.Labour suffered from a persistent image of extremism, especially as Kinnock's campaign to root out Militant dragged on as figures on thehard leftof the party tried to stop its progress. Opinion polls showed that voters favoured retaining theUnited Kingdom's nuclear weapons,(Labour's policy, supported by Kinnock, was ofunilateral nuclear disarmament), and believed that the Conservatives would be better than Labour at defending the country.[24]

1987 general election

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In early 1987, Labour lost a by-election in Greenwich to theSDP'sRosie Barnes.As a result, Labour faced the1987 general electionin some danger of finishing third in the popular vote, with the Conservatives once again expected to secure a comfortable victory. In secret, Labour's aim was to secure second place in order to remain asOfficial Opposition.[25]

Mandelson and his team had revolutionised Labour's communications – a transformation symbolised by aparty election broadcastpopularly known as "Kinnock: The Movie".[26]This was directed byHugh Hudsonand featured Kinnock's 1985 conference speech, and shots of him and his wife Glenys walking on theGreat OrmeinLlandudno(so emphasising his appeal as a family man and associating him with images of Wales away from the coal mining communities where he grew up), and a speech to that year'sWelsh Labour Partyconference asking why he was the "first Kinnock in a thousand generations" to go touniversity.

On polling day, Labour easily took second place, but with only a 31% share of the vote to the SDP-Liberal Alliance's 22%.[27]Labour was still more than ten percentage points behind the Conservatives, who retained a three-figure majority in theHouse of Commons.However, the Conservative government's majority had come down from 144 seats in 1983 to 102.[28]Significantly, Labour had gained twenty seats at the election.[29]

Labour won extra seats inScotland,WalesandNorthern England,but lost ground particularly inSouthern EnglandandLondon,where the Conservatives still dominated. The Conservatives also regained the Fulham seat which it had lost to Labour at a by-election just over a year earlier.

Second period (1987–1992)

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Kinnock in 1989

A few months after the general election, Kinnock gained brief attention in theUnited Statesin August 1987 when it was discovered that then-US SenatorJoe BidenofDelaware(and future 46thPresident) plagiarised one of Kinnock's speeches duringhis 1988 presidential campaignin a speech at aDemocratic Partydebate inIowa.[30]This led to Biden's withdrawal of his presidential campaign.[31]The two men met after the incident, forming a lasting friendship.[32]

The second period of Kinnock's leadership was dominated by his drive to reform the party's policies to gain office. This began with an exercise dubbed thepolicy review,the most high-profile aspect of which was a series of consultations with the public known as "Labour Listens"in the autumn of 1987.[33]

Following Labour Listens, the party went on, in 1988, to produce a new statement of aims and values—meant to supplement and supplant the formulation ofClause IVof the party's constitution (though, crucially, this was not actually replaced until 1995 under the leadership ofTony Blair) and was closely modelled onAnthony Crosland's social-democratic thinking—emphasising equality rather thanpublic ownership.At the same time, the Labour Party's commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament was dropped, and reforms of Party Conference and the National Executive meant that local parties lost much of their ability to influence policy.

In 1988,Kinnock was challengedbyTony Bennfor the party leadership. Later many identified this as a particularly low period in Kinnock's leadership — as he appeared mired in internal battles after five years of leadership with the Conservatives still dominating the scene, and being ahead in the opinion polls. In the end, though, Kinnock won a decisive victory over Benn and would soon enjoy a substantial rise in support.[34]

The policy review — reporting in 1989 —coincided with Labour's move ahead in the polls as thepoll taxrow was destroying Conservative support, and Labour won big victories in local council elections as well as several parliamentary by-elections during 1989 and 1990. Labour overtook the Conservatives at the1989 European elections,winning 40% of the vote; the first time Labour had finished in first place at a national election in fifteen years.

In December 1989, Kinnock abandoned the Labour policy onclosed shops—a decision seen by many as a move away from traditionalsocialistpolicies to a more European-wide agenda, and also a move to rid the party of its image of being run bytrade unions.[35][36]

Michael Heseltinechallenged Thatcher's leadership and she resigned on 28 November 1990 to be succeeded by then-Chancellor of the Exchequer,John Major.Kinnock greeted Thatcher's resignation by describing it as "very good news" and demanded an immediate general election.[37]

Public reaction to Major's elevation was highly positive. A newPrime Ministerand the fact that Kinnock was now the longest-serving current leader of a major party reduced the impact of calls for "Time for a Change". Neil Kinnock's showing in the opinion polls dipped; before Thatcher's resignation, Labour had been up to 10 points ahead of the Conservatives in the opinion polls (anIpsos MORIpoll in April 1990 had actually shown Labour as being more than 20 points ahead of the Conservatives), but many opinion polls were actually showing the Conservatives with a higher amount of support than Labour, in spite of thedeepening recession.[38]

By now Militant had finally been routed in the party, and their two MPs were expelled at the end of 1991, in addition to a number of supporters. The majority in the group were now disenchanted with entryism, and chose to function outside Labour's ranks, forming theSocialist Party.[citation needed]

1992 general election

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Kinnock conceding the 1992 general election

In the three years leading up to the1992 general election,Labour had consistently topped the opinion polls, with 1991 seeing the Conservatives (rejuvenated by the arrival of a new leader withJohn Majorthe previous November) snatch the lead from Labour more than once before Labour regained it. The rise in Conservative support came in spite of the economic recession and sharp rise in unemployment which affected Britain in 1991.[39]Since Major's election asLeader of the Conservative Party(and becoming Prime Minister), Kinnock had spent the end of 1990[40]and most of 1991 putting pressure on Major to call a general election that year, but Major had held out and by the autumn he had insisted that there would be no general election in 1991.[41]

Labour had gained four seats from the Conservatives in by-elections since the1987 general election,having initially suffered disappointing results in some by-elections, namely a loss of theGovanconstituency inGlasgowto theScottish National Partyin November 1988. However, by the end of 1991, the Conservative majority still stood at 88 seats and Labour needed to win more than ninety new seats to gain an overall majority, although there was still the hope of forming a minority orcoalition governmentif Labour failed to win a majority. In the run-up to the election, held on 9 April 1992, most opinion polls had suggested that the election would result in either ahung parliamentor a small Labour majority.[42]

At the1992 general election,Labour made considerable progress – reducing the Conservatives' majority to just 21 seats. It came as a shock to many when the Conservatives won a majority, but the 'triumphalism' perceived by some observers of a Labour Partyrally in Sheffield(together with Kinnock's performance on the podium) may have helped put floating voters off.[43]Although internal polls[43]suggested no impact, while public polls suggested a decline in support had already occurred,[44]most of those directly involved in the campaign believe that the rally only came to widespread attention after the electoral defeat itself,[45]with Kinnock himself changing his mind to a rejection of its negative impact over time.[46]In an essay exploring why Kinnock never became Prime Minister,Steve Richardsnotes that the impact of the rally on the 1992 election "acquired a mythological status as fatal event" after Labour's defeat. He further argues that this explanation is "a red herring" and that the same result would have happened without the rally.[47]

On the day of the general election,The Sunnewspaper ran a front page featuring Kinnock with the headline 'If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.'[48]In hisresignation speech,Kinnock blamedThe Sunfor Labour losing the election, along with otherright-wingmedia sections who had backed the Conservatives in the run-up to the election.[49]The following day's headline inThe Sunwas 'It's The Sun Wot Won It', whichRupert Murdoch– many years later, at his April 2012 appearance before theLeveson Inquiry– stated was both 'tasteless and wrong' and led to the editorKelvin MacKenziereceiving a reprimand.[48]

The Labour-supportingDaily Mirrorhad backed Kinnock for the 1987 general election[50]and did so again in 1992.[51]Less expected was theFinancial Timesbacking Kinnock at the 1992 general election.[52]

Kinnock himself later claimed to have half-expected his defeat at the 1992 general election and proceeded to turn himself into a media personality, hosting a chat show onBBC Walesand twice appearing on the topical panel showHave I Got News for Youwithin a year of the defeat. Many years later, he returned to appear as a guest host of the programme.

Post-parliamentary career

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Kinnock announced his resignation as Leader of the Labour Party on 13 April 1992, ending nearly a decade in the role.John Smith,previously Shadow Chancellor,was electedon 18 July as his successor.[53]

Kinnock remained on the Advisory Council of theInstitute for Public Policy Research,which he helped set up in the 1980s.

Kinnock was an enthusiastic supporter ofEd Miliband's campaign for the Leadership of the Labour Party in 2010, and was reported as telling activists, when Miliband won, "We've got our party back" – although Miliband, like Kinnock, failed to lead the party back into government, and resigned after the Conservatives were re-elected with a small majority in2015.Labour received their lowest seat tally under Miliband since the 1987 general election; when Kinnock was leader at that time.[54]

In 2011, he participated in the Welsh family history television programmeComing Homewhere he discovered hitherto unknown information about his family.[55]

European Union Commissioner

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See also:Santer CommissionandProdi Commission
Kinnock withTony Blairin 2000

Kinnock was appointed one of the UK's two members of theEuropean Commission,which he served first as Transport Commissioner under PresidentJacques Santer,in early 1995; marking the end of his 25 years in the House of Commons.[56]This came less than a year after the death of his successor,John Smithand the election ofTony Blairas the party's new leader.[57]

He was obliged to resign as part of the forced, collectiveresignation of the Commissionin 1999. He was re-appointed to the Commission under new PresidentRomano Prodi.He now became one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Commission, with responsibility for Administrative Reform and the Audit, Linguistics and Logistics Directorates General.[58]His term of office as a Commissioner was due to expire on 30 October 2004, but was delayed owing to the withdrawal of the new Commissioners. During this second term of office on the Commission, he was responsible for introducing new staff regulations for EU officials, a significant feature of which was substantial salary cuts for everyone employed after 1 May 2004, reduced pension prospects for many others, and gradually worsening employment conditions. This made him disliked by many EU staff members, although the pressure on budgets that largely drove these changes had actually been imposed on the Commission from above by the Member States in Council.

In February 2004, it was announced that with effect from 1 November 2004, Kinnock would become head of theBritish Council.Coincidentally, at the same time, his sonStephenbecame head of the British Council branch inSaint Petersburg,Russia. At the end of October, it was announced that he would become a Member of theHouse of Lords(intending to be a working peer), when he was able to leave his EU responsibilities. In 1977, he had remained in the House of Commons, withDennis Skinner,while other MPs walked to the Lords to hear theQueen's speechopening the new parliament. He had dismissed going to the Lords in recent interviews. Kinnock explained his change of attitude, despite the continuing presence of ninety hereditary peers and appointment by patronage, by asserting that the Lords was a good base for campaigning.

Life peerage

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Kinnock in 2007

On 28 January 2005, he was created alife peerasBaron Kinnock, ofBedwelltyin the County ofGwent,[59]and wasintroducedto theHouse of Lordson 31 January 2005.[60]On assuming his seat, he stated: "I accepted the kind invitation to enter the House of Lords as a working peer for practical political reasons." When his peerage was first announced, he said: "It will give me the opportunity... to contribute to the national debate on issues likehigher education,research, Europe and foreign policy. "

His peerage meant that the Labour and Conservative parties were equal in numbers in the upper house of Parliament (subsequently the number of Labour members overtook the number of Conservative members for many years). Kinnock was a long-time critic of the House of Lords, and his acceptance of a peerage led him to be accused of hypocrisy, byWill Self,[61]among others.[62]

Views

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Welsh identity and devolution

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Kinnock is a supporter of Welsh devolution, with proposals for a Welsh Assembly included in the Labour Party's 1992 manifesto when he was leader. However, in the build up to the1979 Welsh devolution referendum,the Labour government was in favour ofdevolution for Wales.Kinnock was one of just six MPs inSouth Waleswho campaigned against devolution, and personally backed an amendment to theWales Actstating that devolution would require not only asimple majority,but also the backing of 40% of the entire electorate. He later clarified that he supports devolution in principle, but found the proposed settlement at the time as failing to address the economic disparities in the UK, particularly following theclosure of coal mines in Wales.[63]In 2023, Kinnock supported a paper outlining an expanded devolution settlement by Centre Think Tank called "Devolution Revolution" which he described as "offering a clear route map towards workable and fair devolution for the whole of the UK".[64][65]

Kinnock has often referred to himself as aunionist.

Brexit

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Kinnock strongly opposedBrexit.In 2018, Kinnock stated, "The truth is that we can either take the increasingly plain risks and costs of leaving the EU or have the stability, growth and revenues vital for crucial public services like the NHS and social care. Recognising that, we should stop Brexit to save the NHS – or, at very least, mitigate the damage by seekingEuropean Economic Areamembership. "[66]

Personal life

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Neil andGlenys Kinnockin 2002

Kinnock metGlenys Kinnock(née Parry) in the early 1960s whilst studying atUniversity College, Cardiff,where they were known as "the power and the glory" (Glenys being the power), and they married on 25 March 1967.[67]His wife was the UK's Minister for Africa and theUnited Nationsfrom 2009–2010, and a LabourMember of the European Parliament(MEP) from 1994–2009. When she was made alife peerin 2009, they became one of the few couples both to hold titles in their own right. Previously living together inPeterston-super-Ely,a village near the western outskirts ofCardiff,in 2008 they relocated toTufnell Park,London,to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren.[68]Glenys' death was announced on 3 December 2023.[69]

They have a son,Stephenand a daughter, Rachel.[70]Neil Kinnock, through his son Stephen, is also the father-in-law ofHelle Thorning-Schmidtwho wasPrime Minister of Denmarkfrom 2011 to 2015.

On 26 April 2006, Kinnock was given a six-month driving ban after being found guilty of two speeding offences along theM4 motorway,west of London.[71]

Kinnock is aCardiff City F.C.fan and regularly attends matches.[72]He is also a follower ofrugby unionand supportsLondon Welsh RFCat club level, regularly attendingWalesgames.[73]

He was portrayed by bothChris BarrieandSteve Cooganin the satirical TV programmeSpitting Image,and by Euan Cuthbertson in the Scottish filmIn Search of La Che.[74]

In 2014, Lord Kinnock was painted by artistEdward Sutcliffe.The portrait was exhibited at theRoyal Society of Portrait PaintersAnnual Exhibition that year.[75]

Kinnock has been described as anagnostic[76]and anatheist.[77][78]He is a Patron ofHumanists UK.[79]

References

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  2. ^"Britishcouncil.org".Britishcouncil.org. Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2009.Retrieved2 October2010.
  3. ^"South East Wales Public Life – Neil Kinnock – Labour politician from Tredegar".BBC. 28 March 1942. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2012.Retrieved6 April2012.
  4. ^Wilsford, David (1995).Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary.Greenwood Publishing Group. p.236.ISBN978-0-313-28623-0.Retrieved2 October2011.
  5. ^Davis, Hunter; Herrmann, Frank (July 1982).Great Britain.H. Hamilton. p. 173.ISBN9780241107553.Retrieved2 October2011.
  6. ^"The Papers of Neil Kinnock".Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2021.Retrieved18 October2021.
  7. ^abJones, Eileen (29 April 1994).Neil Kinnock.Hale. p. 29.ISBN978-0-7090-5239-5.Retrieved2 October2011.
  8. ^Davies, Mark (4 July 2003)."Profile: Neil Kinnock".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2004.Retrieved13 September2011.
  9. ^"Kinnock is Leader at his Rachel's Wedding Party"Archived10 May 2017 at theWayback Machine,Sunday Mirror,22 July 2001.
  10. ^"Neil Kinnock: why I changed my mind about Britain in Europe".Prospect.6 April 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 21 June 2021.Retrieved5 September2021.
  11. ^"1983: 'Dream ticket' wins Labour leadership".On This Day.BBC News. 2 October 1983.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2007.Retrieved29 September2010.
  12. ^General election: "11 June 1987"Archived3 December 2011 at theWayback Machine,BBC Politics 97.
  13. ^F.M. Leventhal, ed.,Twentieth-century Britain: an encyclopedia(2002) p 424.
  14. ^Adeney, Martin; Lloyd, John (1988).The Miners' Strike 1984-5: Loss Without Limit.London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 294.ISBN978-0-7102-1371-6.
  15. ^"Leader's speech, Bournemouth 1985: Neil Kinnock (Labour)".British Political Speeches.3 March 1985.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2011.Retrieved17 October2011.
  16. ^"The Coal War".BBC – Press Office. 27 February 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2018.Retrieved24 December2019.
  17. ^https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/kinnock-says-scargill-to-blame-over-pit-closures-1492918.html[bare URL]
  18. ^"1985: Miners call off year-long strike".BBC News.3 March 1985.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2018.Retrieved12 April2011.
  19. ^For a history of the Militant tendency in the Labour Party, see Eric ShawDiscipline and Discord in the Labour Party: The Politics of Managerial Control in the Labour Party, 1951–87,Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1988, p.218-90 and Michael CrickThe March of Militant,London: Faber, 1986
  20. ^"Neil Kinnock, Militant speech, Labour party conference, October 1985".New Statesman.October 1985.Archivedfrom the original on 12 November 2015.Retrieved10 November2015.
  21. ^Naughtie, James (2 October 1985)."Labour in Bournemouth".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 18 November 2020.Retrieved5 December2005.
  22. ^"1986: Labour expels Militant Hatton"Archived12 May 2011 at theWayback Machine,BBC On This Day, 12 June
  23. ^Lennon, Peter (2 October 1989)."Guarding the good name of the rose".The Guardian.London.Archivedfrom the original on 2 February 2017.Retrieved15 December2016.
  24. ^Anthony King (ed.),British Political Opinion, 1937–2000: The Gallup Polls(Politico's, 2001), pp. 105–7.
  25. ^"The rise and fall of New Labour".BBC News.3 August 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2010.Retrieved20 June2018.
  26. ^"UK General Election 1987 Campaign – Kinnock the Movie".YouTube. 11 June 1987.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2021.Retrieved6 April2012.
  27. ^"Summary results of the 1987 General Election".Election.demon.co.uk. 11 June 1987. Archived fromthe originalon 7 February 2012.Retrieved6 April2012.
  28. ^"1987: Thatcher's third victory".BBC News.5 April 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 22 April 2009.Retrieved20 August2011.
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