Tim Fortescue

{{Short description|British politician (1916–2008)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}} {{Use British English|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Tim Fortescue | office = Member of Parliament<br />for Liverpool Garston | term_start = 31 March 1966 | term_end = 8 February 1974 | successor = Eddie Loyden | predecessor = Richard Bingham | birth_name = Trevor Victor Norman Fortescue | birth_place = Chingford, Essex, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|9|29|1916|8|28|df=y}} | birth_date = {{Birth date|1916|8|28|df=y}} | death_place = | alma_mater = King's College, Cambridge }}

'''Trevor Victor Norman "Tim" Fortescue''', CBE (28 August 1916 – 29 September 2008), was a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Garston from 1966 to 1974.<ref>{{Rayment|date=February 2012}}</ref>

==Early life== Fortescue was born on 28 August 1916 in Chingford, Essex, England.<ref name="obit - Guardian">{{cite news|last1=Roth|first1=Andrew|title=Tim Fortescue|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/oct/01/conservatives|accessdate=7 July 2014|work=The Guardian|date=1 October 2008}}</ref> He was educated at Uppingham School, a private school in Uppingham, Rutland.<ref name="obit - Telegraph">{{cite news|title=Tim Fortescue|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3104465/Tim-Fortescue.html|accessdate=7 July 2014|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 September 2008}}</ref> He then went to King's College, Cambridge to study modern languages.<ref name="obit - Guardian"/>

In 1938 he graduated and joined the Colonial Service. He was posted to Hong Kong and was there when it was captured by the Japanese during the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. He remained in Japanese captivity until the surrender of Japan in 1945.<ref name="obit - Guardian"/>

After World War 2, he worked for the Colonial Service, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the Milk Marketing Board and Nestlé before embarking on a career in politics.<ref name="obit - Guardian"/>

==Political career== Fortescue was first elected to Parliament in the 1966 general election. He was re-elected to the 1970 general election and, having been appointed by Edward Heath as an assistant whip under Francis Pym, served as a senior whip, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 1971 until he resigned in September 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/table/york/Whips.html|title=Political Science Resources: links to UK and US politics|website=www.psr.keele.ac.uk}}</ref> He retired from the Commons at the February 1974 general election at which the Labour candidate was elected.<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3104465/Tim-Fortescue.html|title=Tim Fortescue|date=29 September 2008|publisher=|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>

After leaving politics, he became general secretary of the Food and Drink Industries Council, now called the Food and Drink Federation.<ref name="telegraph" />

== Revelations about paedophilia in the House of Commons == Fortescue worked as a whip in Edward Heath's government between 1970 and 1973. In a 1995 BBC documentary, ''Westminster's Secret Service'', he said the following about what the Whips would do for MPs who were in danger of being mired in scandal:<ref>{{cite web|title=Ex-senior judge Butler-Sloss to head child sex abuse inquiry|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28203914|website=BBC News|publisher=BBC|accessdate=8 July 2014|date=8 July 2014}}</ref> {{cquote|For anyone with any sense, who was in trouble, would come to the whips and tell them the truth, and say now, I’m in a jam, can you help? It might be debt, it might be… a scandal involving small boys, or any kind of scandal in which, erm er, a member seemed likely to be mixed up in, they’d come and ask if we could help and if we could, we did. And we would do everything we can because we would store up brownie points… and if I mean, that sounds a pretty, pretty nasty reason, but it’s one of the reasons because if we could get a chap out of trouble then, he will do as we ask forever more.}}{{Citation needed|reason=The Witchfinder General, is it?|date=March 2023}}

== Death == Fortescue died in 2008 aged 92.<ref name="obit - Guardian" />

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-tim-fortescue | Tim Fortescue }}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{succession box|title=Member of Parliament for Liverpool Garston|years=1966 – February 1974|before=Richard Bingham|after=Edward Loyden}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortescue, Tim}} Category:1916 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:UK MPs 1966–1970 Category:UK MPs 1970–1974 Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies Category:People from Chingford Category:People educated at Uppingham School Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Tim Category:World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan