24 Facts About Peter Shore

Peter David Shore, Baron Shore of Stepney, was a British Labour Party politician and former Cabinet Minister, noted in part for his opposition to the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community.

Peter Shore was described in an obituary by the Conservative journalist Patrick Cosgrave as "Between Harold Wilson and Tony Blair, the only possible Labour Party leader of whom a Conservative leader had cause to walk in fear" and, along with Enoch Powell, "the most captivating rhetorician of the age".

Peter Shore attended Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool and, from there, went to King's College, Cambridge, to read History as an exhibitioner, where he was a member of the Cambridge Apostles, a secret society with an elite membership.

Peter Shore had specialised in political economy during part of his degree and joined the Labour Party in 1948.

Peter Shore spent the 1950s working for the party and, after two unsuccessful Parliamentary contests at St Ives in 1950 and Halifax in 1959, he was appointed as Head of the Labour Party's Research Department and took charge of the renewal of party policy following its third successive defeat in 1959.

Peter Shore was only briefly a follower of Hugh Gaitskell; his adherence to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament from 1958 led to a breach in relations for several years.

Peter Shore became close to Harold Wilson after Wilson had been elected as party leader, and was the main author of the Labour Party manifesto for the 1964 general election.

Peter Shore was responsible for drafting the 1966 and 1970 election manifestos.

Peter Shore declared immediately his belief in state-controlled economic planning, together with the regulation of prices and wages.

Peter Shore was retained in the Cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

Peter Shore played a key part, behind the scenes, in planning the Labour Party's unsuccessful 1970 general election campaign.

In opposition, Peter Shore was appointed as spokesman on Europe, taking the lead in opposing Edward Heath's application to join the European Economic Community.

Peter Shore had already become convinced that membership of the EEC would be a disaster because it would stop the British government from taking necessary economic action.

When Wilson returned to government in 1974, Peter Shore was appointed as Secretary of State for Trade.

Peter Shore participated in the discussions without believing that any new terms would be acceptable, and during the referendum he joined with other anti-EEC politicians in opposing membership.

Peter Shore called on local authorities to cut spending and waste, and criticised the trade unions representing local authority staff for failure to support modernisation.

Peter Shore launched a campaign to revitalise the inner cities of Britain.

Peter Shore became a fervent advocate of the British nuclear deterrent for the last three decades of his life, but in 1958 he had been an active member of CND.

Peter Shore had always been implacably opposed to any suggestion of British participation in the Vietnam war, both as PPS and in Cabinet he had encouraged Wilson to distance himself more explicitly from American foreign policy.

Peter Shore was persuaded to stand as a candidate in the election of a new party leader in November 1980 by Michael Foot who thought he was the best-placed soft-left candidate to defeat Denis Healey.

However, Peter Shore came bottom of the poll with 32 votes when Foot was himself persuaded to stand.

Peter Shore served as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons for four years under Neil Kinnock but his influence with the leadership was negligible and he was not re-elected to the Shadow cabinet in 1985.

Peter Shore stood down from the front bench in 1987 and thereafter served on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, devoting himself to European Union questions.

On 27 September 1948, Peter Shore married Dr Elizabeth Catherine Wrong, daughter of the historian Edward Murray Wrong.