22 Facts About Bob Mellish

Bob Mellish was a long-serving Labour Party MP of 36 years, from 1946 to 1982.

Bob Mellish served as the Labour Chief Whip from 1969 until 1976, but in his later years he fell out with his local Constituency Labour Party which he felt had become dominated by people on the left of the Labour Party, and he eventually left the party.

Bob Mellish was born in Deptford to John Bob Mellish and his wife Mary Elizabeth Carroll, the thirteenth of fourteen children.

Bob Mellish easily won the constituency in a by-election in 1946.

Bob Mellish was Chairman of the London Regional Labour Party from 1956 to 1977.

Bob Mellish was appointed by Harold Wilson as a Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury which he held during Labour Governments from 1969 to 1970 and again from 1974 to 1976.

Bob Mellish was Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Housing and Local Government from Labour's victory in 1964 until 1967, then becoming Minister of Public Building and Works from 1967 until 1969.

Bob Mellish became Minister for Housing and Local Government in 1970; however, this was now under Anthony Crosland as Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning.

Bob Mellish was in favour of Britain's entry into the Common Market but voted to oppose Edward Heath's policy of entry in 1971, in accordance with Labour Party policy.

Bob Mellish supported Michael Foot to replace Wilson, but in vain; James Callaghan won the leadership ballot instead.

Bob Mellish disliked Callaghan so much that he resigned from the cabinet within months of Wilson's own retirement.

At one stage Bob Mellish opened a speech by saying "As I come to this platform, many of you will know that I have never been an anti-racialist".

In 1976 Bob Mellish argued that the Malawi Asians expelled by Hastings Banda should not be allowed to live in Britain despite possessing British passports:.

Bob Mellish offered a way through as he was willing to take the post; as a sitting MP he would lose his seat if the post was paid, so a special provision was made that it would be unpaid until the vice-chairman elected to take payment.

Bob Mellish was against the shift to the Left in the Labour Party and decided not to stand for election again.

Bob Mellish wanted his ally John O'Grady, Leader of Southwark Borough Council, to be selected in his stead but the constituency party selected Peter Tatchell, its secretary.

Bob Mellish made his discontent public and threatened to resign immediately and force a by-election if Tatchell was endorsed by the Labour Party nationally.

In November, he resigned his seat in Parliament and forced a 1983 by-election in which Bob Mellish campaigned for O'Grady who stood as a Real Bermondsey Labour candidate.

O'Grady performed badly at the by-election although Bob Mellish did take some satisfaction from the heavy defeat of Tatchell by the Liberal candidate, Simon Hughes.

Bob Mellish was a supporter of Millwall Football Club and was president of the Millwall Supporters Club.

Bob Mellish died at a care home in Sompting, West Sussex, on 9 May 1998, at the age of 85.

The tallest building in Milton Keynes, Bob Mellish Court, is named after him.