Editing George Howarth

{{Short description|British Labour politician}}
{{For|the Australian politician|George Howarth (Australian politician)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = Sir George Howarth
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir George Howarth MP crop 2.jpg
| office              = [[Northern Ireland Office|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]]
| primeminister       = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start          = 29 July 1999
| term_end            = 7 June 2001
| predecessor         = [[Alf Dubs, Baron Dubs|The Lord Dubs]]
| successor           = [[Des Browne]]
| office1             = [[Home Office|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs]]
| primeminister1      = [[Tony Blair]]
| term_start1         = 2 May 1997
| term_end1           = 29 July 1999
| predecessor1        = [[Timothy Kirkhope]]
| successor1          = [[Charles Clarke]]
| office2             = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[Knowsley (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley]]<br /><small>[[Knowsley North and Sefton East (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley North and Sefton East]] (1997–2010)<br />[[Knowsley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley North]] (1986–1997)</small>
| parliament2         = 
| majority2           = 
| predecessor2        = [[Robert Kilroy-Silk]]
| successor2          = [[Anneliese Midgley]]
| term_start2         = 13 November 1986
| term_end2           = 30 May 2024
| birth_name          = George Edward Howarth
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1949|06|29|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[Prescot Urban District|Prescot]], [[Lancashire]], [[England]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| nationality         = [[United Kingdom|English]]
| spouse              = Julie, Lady Howarth<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/110124/part2.htm |title=House of Commons – The Register of Members' Financial Interests – Part 2: Part 2 |publisher=Publications.parliament.uk |access-date=3 February 2011}}</ref>
| party               = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| alma_mater          = [[University of Salford]]
| occupation          = 
| profession          = Engineer
| signature           = 
| website             = {{Official website|https://www.georgehowarth.org.uk/}}
| footnotes           = 
}}

'''Sir George Edward Howarth''' (born 29 June 1949) is a British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] [[politician]] who served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Knowsley (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley]] until [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]. He also served the seat's predecessors since being elected in a [[1986 Knowsley North by-election|by-election in 1986]], firstly as the MP for [[Knowsley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley North]] (until 1997) and then [[Knowsley North and Sefton East (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley North and Sefton East]] (1997–2010).

==Early life and career==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
Born in [[Prescot]], Howarth was educated at the local [[Huyton]] Secondary School, the [[Kirkby]] College of Further Education, and the [[Liverpool John Moores University]]. He went on to study at the [[University of Salford]]. He served his [[apprenticeship]] for four years from 1966 as an engineer, and then worked as an engineer until 1975 when he moved into teaching.

In 1980 he joined Cooperative Development Services, and in 1982 was appointed the Chief Executive at the Wales Cooperative Centre. He became the Chief Executive of the [[Wales]] [[Trades Union Congress]] sponsored Centre in [[Cardiff]], a position he held before his election to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].

Howarth was elected as a councillor to the Huyton District Council in 1971 and served in its successor the [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley Borough Council]] until 1986, becoming its deputy leader from 1982 to 1983. He was the chair of the [[Knowsley South (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley South Constituency]] Labour Party for four years from 1981.

==Parliamentary career==
{{BLP sources section|date=January 2023}}
The sitting Labour MP for Knowsley North, [[Robert Kilroy-Silk]], resigned from Parliament in 1986 mid term to follow a career with the [[BBC]]. In [[1986 Knowsley North by-election|the by-election on 13 November 1986]], Howarth was elected with a safe majority of 6,724. He subsequently became MP for Knowsley North & Sefton East in 1997 and Knowsley in 2010 as constituency boundaries were redrawn. In the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], he received 85% of the vote, one of the greatest majorities for a British MP since the advent of universal suffrage.

He served as an opposition spokesperson on [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|Environment]] 1989–1994 and [[Home Office|Home Affairs]] 1994–1997. In 1997, he was appointed [[Parliamentary Under Secretary of State]] at the Home Office, and in 1999 to the same position at the [[Northern Ireland Office]].<ref name="parl">{{cite web|title=George Howarth|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/mr-george-howarth/481|website=UK Parliament|access-date=27 March 2015}}</ref> He left the government in 2001. He has served on a wide variety of [[Select Committee (United Kingdom)|select committees]].<ref name="parl" /> He became a member of the Privy Council in 2005.

Howarth helped to enact the modern [[postal voting]] system.  By 1999, the system of postal and proxy voting for those unable to vote at polling stations was seen as cumbersome and complex. Howarth, as Minister of State at the Home Office, chaired the [[Working Party on Electoral Procedures]], which recommended that: absent voting should be allowed on demand and that the application and voting procedures for absent voting should be simplified. The [[Representation of the People Act 2000]] implemented the recommendations. The Representation of the People (England & Wales) Regulations 2001 introduced the changes to the absent voting arrangements from 16 February 2001. The main change was to allow postal voting on demand.

Howarth was appointed one of two temporary Deputy Speakers of the House after the 2015 Queens Speech, until the new deputy speakers were elected on 3 June 2015. Following the 2017 Queens Speech, Howarth again served until the new deputy speakers were elected on 28 June 2017 without standing for the position himself.

He supported [[Owen Smith]] in the failed attempt to replace [[Jeremy Corbyn]] in the [[2016 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|2016 Labour leadership election]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2016/07/which-mps-and-meps-have-nominated-owen-smith/|title=Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith|date=2016-07-21|website=LabourList|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-07-15}}</ref>

Howarth was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2019 Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62666|supp=y|page=B2|date=8 June 2019}}</ref> He briefly acted as [[First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means]] at the start of the [[List of MPs elected in the 2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 Parliament]].

He announced in June 2023 that he would retire at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorp |first=Liam |date=5 June 2023 |title=George Howarth to stand down as Knowsley MP |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/george-howarth-stand-down-knowsley-27058472 |access-date=6 June 2023 |website=[[Liverpool Echo]]] |language=en}}</ref> He was succeeded as MP by [[Anneliese Midgley]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorp |first=Liam |last2=Haygarth |first2=Dan |date=2024-07-05 |title=Liverpool and Merseyside results live as Labour wins landslide |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/general-election-results-2024-live-29464385 |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Liverpool Echo |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Howarth is the father of three children.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-06 |title=Labour MP Sir George Howarth to step down after nearly 40 years |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-65821722 |access-date=2023-06-06}}</ref> In 2011, Howarth's daughter, Sián, died at the age of 24 due to complications from [[Type 1 diabetes]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Gary |title=Daughter of Knowsley MP's George Howarth dies suddenly aged 24 |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/daughter-knowsley-mps-george-howarth-3361591 |access-date=27 May 2021 |work=Liverpool Echo |date=1 October 2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.georgehowarth.org.uk George Howarth, Labour MP for Knowsley ] official biography
* {{UK MP links | parliament = mr-george-howarth/481 | hansardcurr = 1031 | hansard = mr-george-howarth | publicwhip = George_Howarth | theywork = george_howarth }}
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-2543,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: George Howarth MP]
* {{C-SPAN|18821}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef| before = [[Robert Kilroy-Silk]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Knowsley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley North]]
       | years  = [[1986 Knowsley North by-election|1986]]–[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]] }}
{{s-non| reason = Constituency abolished }}

{{s-new|constituency}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Knowsley North and Sefton East (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley North and Sefton East]]
       | years  = [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]–2010|2010}}
{{s-non| reason = Constituency abolished }}

{{s-new|constituency}}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Knowsley (UK Parliament constituency)|Knowsley]]
       | years  = [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]–[[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anneliese Midgley]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howarth, George}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Liverpool John Moores University]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Salford]]
[[Category:Amalgamated Engineering Union-sponsored MPs]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Office junior ministers]]
[[Category:Politicians from Liverpool]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1983–1987]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992–1997]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1997–2001]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2001–2005]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2005–2010]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2010–2015]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2015–2017]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2017–2019]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2019–2024]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East]]