Cyril Osborne

Sir Cyril Osborne (19 June 1898 – 31 August 1969) was a Justice of the Peace for Leicestershire, and a British Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Louth constituency in Lincolnshire from 1945 until his death.

Background

The son of Thomas Osborne in Nottingham, Cyril Osborne was educated at University College, Nottingham, and served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in World War I. He married, in 1935, Joyce Lawrence née Feibusch from Wolverhampton, and they had two sons and two daughters. One of them, Hazel, Baroness Byford was an Opposition Spokesman in the House of Lords.

Political career

He was elected on his first attempt, at the 1945 general election, and later became an early MP member of the Conservative Monday Club. In the House of Commons, he preceded Enoch Powell in arguing against immigration from the new commonwealth countries.

In 1963, Osborne penned an article for Spectator Magazine in which he argued that 'if unlimited immigration were allowed, we should ultimately become a chocolate-coloured, Afro-Asian mixed society. That I do not want'.[1]

Although Osborne's views on immigration were generally regarded as somewhat extreme by the Conservative Party leadership, in March 1965 the party's MPs supported his Bill that sought to introduce 'periodic and precise limits on immigration'. Although the Bill failed at its first hurdle, the fact that it received the support of the Conservative Party leadership reflected the party's gradually hardening position on immigration into Britain from the 'New Commonwealth'.

Later in 1965, he called on the Labour government of Harold Wilson to "ban all immigration except for genuine students and professional people who will return to their native countries at the end of a limited stay".[2]

From 1964 to 1967, he was Hon Treasurer of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (British Group), and for a longer period was Chairman of the Anglo-Soviet Parliamentary Group. During the 1967 debate on the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Osborne said "Punishment is deserved by any association that brings homos together and encourages these acts that I think are repulsive. If a club incidentally or partially operates so as to bring homos together and encourage this degrading and demoralising activity, I say that it should be punished."[3]

After his death, the 1969 Louth by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Jeffrey Archer, whose political career was later ended after he was imprisoned (2001–2003) for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

Private life

Sir Cyril Osborne was a Stockbroker and company director. He was a past Master of the Framework, a Member of the Court of Assistants, and of the Bakers' Livery Company. He was also a member of the Pilgrims Society, and the English-Speaking Union.

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References
  1. Osborne, Sir Cyril. “The Colour Problem in Britain: Right.” The Spectator, December 4, 1964, pp. 7-8
  2. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1965/jul/08/immigration
  • Black, Adam and Charles, Who was Who 1961-1970, London, 1972: 860. ISBN 0-7136-1202-9
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Arthur Heneage		 Member of Parliament for Louth, Lincolnshire
1945–1969		 Succeeded by
Jeffrey Archer
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