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Revision as of 23:17, 8 June 2004 by VampWillow (talk | contribs) (disintermediate a redirect, added content)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Alan Howarth CBE (born June 11, 1944) is a British politician, and member of Parliament for Newport East.
In 1995 he defected from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party, the first MP to defect from the Tories to Labour since Sir Oswald Mosley. At the time he was MP for Stratford-on-Avon but after failing to win the seats of Wentworth and Wythenshawe he was selected for the safe seat of Newport East in Wales. The miner's leader Arthur Scargill stood against him but he easily held the seat for Labour.
After the election victory of 1997 he was appointed Under Secretary for education and employment, becoming Minister of Arts at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport the following year. He is also a member of the Privy Council. He was sacked after the 2001 general election.