Edward Heath's Speech
Edward Heath, the son of a builder, was born in Broadstairs in 1916. He
studied at Balliol
College,
Oxford and served in the
British Army
during the Second
World War.
A
member of the
Conservative Party, Heath worked for the Conservative Central Office
before being elected to the
House of Commons
in 1950.
In
1955
Anthony Eden
appointed
Heath as his Chief Whip. Later he served as Minister of Labour (1959-60)
under
Harold
Macmillan.
As Lord Privy Seal he led the British team negotiating entry into the Common
Market. A passionate European he was devastated when
Charles De
Gaulle vetoed Britain's entry in 1963. In the
Alec
Douglas-Home
administration
Heath was President of the Board of Trade.
The Labour Party
won the 1964
General Election and the following year Heath was elected leader of the
Conservative Party. He lost the
1966 General
Election but defeated
Harold Wilson
in 1970.
Heath successfully led Britain into the Common Market. However, many in his
party was unhappy with this policy and it created deep divisions that lasted
for over thirty years.
Heath also came into conflict with the trade unions over his attempts to
impose a prices and incomes policy. His attempts to legislate against
unofficial strikes led to industrial disputes. In 1973 a miners' work-to-rule
led to regular power cuts and the imposition of a three day week. Heath
called a general election in 1974 on the issue of "who rules". He failed to
get a majority and
Harold Wilson
and the Labour
Party returned to power.
In
1975 Heath lost the leadership of the
Conservative Party. However, he remained in the
House of Commons
as a backbencher until 2001 when he agreed to join the
House of Lords.
John
Simkin
