19 Facts About Charles Key

The family were largely dependent on poor relief under the Poor Law: in later life Charles Key often remembered collecting 1s.

Charles Key claimed to have promised his mother at the age of nine that he would get into Parliament and repeal the Poor Law.

One of the lodgers was a young chemist, who decided to take responsibility for helping him develop his talent, and provided enough funds for Charles Key to continue his education at the Mile End Pupil Teachers' Centre and to get practical training at a school in South Hackney.

Charles Key then won a Queen's Scholarship to go to the Borough Road Teacher Training College.

Charles Key was not among the most left-wing, but he was fully supportive of the campaign to improve the lives of the poor of the borough: in 1925 he was to write that most of the population "live on the verge of destitution".

Charles Key saw the effects that poverty had on the children at his school.

Charles Key argued to continue the protest, because the LCC and government had failed to fund promised schemes in the borough.

Charles Key was a key organiser of the successful campaign to get the councillors released, and subsequently wrote pamphlets telling the history of the campaign.

Charles Key moved a resolution to reluctantly comply, under protest, with the Lords' judgment.

When George Lansbury died in 1940, Charles Key was elected at the Bow and Bromley by-election to follow him; he was opposed only by a Communist candidate in the byelection.

From 1941 until the end of the war, Charles Key was Regional Commissioner for the London Civil Defence region, with special responsibility for shelters.

In Clement Attlee's post-war government, Charles Key was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health.

Charles Key shared responsibility for passing the National Health Service Act with Aneurin Bevan; the contrast in their styles, with Bevan's exuberant manner of speech differing markedly from Key's homespun wisdom, was noted.

In February 1947, Charles Key was promoted to be Minister of Works, where he had to deal with the rebuilding of the House of Commons chamber and settling the layout of the Festival of Britain.

Charles Key was appointed to the Privy Council in 1947, which entitled him to be referred to as "The Right Honourable Charles Key".

One of Charles Key's responsibilities was to ensure a steady supply of building material for the building of public housing.

In 1953 Charles Key was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Poplar, an award which made him very proud.

Charles Key remained a backbench MP although his attendance and frequency of speeches declined; in 1963 he was one of the MPs highlighted by the television programme That Was the Week That Was for not having spoken at all in the Chamber since the 1959 general election.

Charles Key acted as a scrutineer in the ballot for the Labour Party leadership in 1963.