Terry Lewis, the former Labour MP for Worsley known for his maverick style and direct language, has died aged 90. Nicknamed 'El Tel', he was a staunch socialist who represented a Conservative-leaning constituency in Salford from 1983 to 2005.
A Maverick MP
Lewis was fearless in Parliament. He once confronted then-Prime Minister John Major, asking him: 'Why don't you resign you plonker?' He was a member of the 'awkward squad' alongside Dennis Skinner, often voting against his own government.
In 1983, he defied party whips on defence estimates. Under Tony Blair, he voted against cuts to lone parent benefits, means-testing of incapacity benefits, part-privatisation of air traffic control, abolition of student maintenance grants, and the Iraq war, which he called 'indefensible'.
Leaving and Rejoining Labour
In 2010, Lewis left the Labour Party after 44 years, saying it had 'lost its soul'. He tore up his membership card, claiming the party missed a historic opportunity to repair damage from Conservative governments. He rejoined in 2015 when Jeremy Corbyn became leader, calling Corbyn 'an old friend' and hoping for 'a new dawn'.
Lewis also spoke out about the impact of government cuts. In 2000, he expressed 'shame' after Salford Council was forced to cut £13m, leading to 530 job losses and closures of nurseries and old people's homes. He said: 'This is the clearest evidence yet that the Labour government is failing its core supporters.'
Constituency Work and Tributes
Lewis was known for his hard work on constituency matters. He campaigned against premium-rate telephone sex lines and premium chat lines, concerned about teenagers becoming addicted. He used parliamentary privilege to name a criminal later jailed for ripping off pensioners with a cowboy insulation firm.
His friend and former agent, Melvyn Higson, said: 'Terry was always approachable. He was probably one of the country's most respected backbench MPs.' Paul Dennett, City Mayor of Salford, called him 'a proud son of Salford' who dedicated his life to public service. Former councillor John Warmisham remembered him as 'proper old school politician' who fought for the working class. BBC Radio presenter Mike Sweeney said: 'Really sad news. He was a brilliant old school Labour politician and a great constituency MP.'
Personal Life and Legacy
Born on December 29, 1935, in Ordsall, Salford, to Andrew Lewis, a dockworker, and Mary Redfern, he attended Catholic primary and secondary modern schools. He did national service with the Royal Army Medical Corps and later told the MEN he was 'a guinea pig' in germ warfare tests at Porton Down. He married Audrey Clarke in 1958; they had two sons, David and Andrew, who died aged ten.
Lewis was a dedicated Manchester United fan. In 1999, he traveled to Barcelona for the European Cup Final but had his ticket and credit card stolen, missing the match and watching it in a bar. He said: 'I coped and we won.'
On retirement in 2005, he said he would miss politics 'like a boil on the bum'. He sent a postcard depicting a solitary figure on a horse with the caption 'Into the Sunset' and on the reverse: 'Still searching for the socialist alternative'. He leaves son David.
