David Clark is the model Labour MP. Since he was first elected to Parliament in 1970, having joined the Party in 1959 (and the Co-operative Party in 1961), he has served on the Shadow Cabinet during the dark years of opposition in the 1980s and was eventually rewarded with a position in Cabinet on the Party’s election in 1997. Yet, even when his time in Cabinet came to an end he has remained a faithful and loyal back-bencher fighting for the modernisation of Parliament.
Clark was born into a working-class family on 19 October 1939 in Castle Douglas, Scotland to George Clark, a gardener, and Janet (Smith). He left school at 16, after attending Bowness Elementary and Windermere Grammar, and went to work as a forester (1956-57) before moving on to a textile mill in Lancaster where he became a laboratory assistant (1957-59). Unable to contemplate a lifetime in this occupation, Clark made a sudden decision to hand his notice in. After a suggestion from one of the other residents in his lodgings, Clark decided to become a student teacher. He moved to Salford, Manchester and the appalling social conditions made an immediate impact, leading him to join the Labour Party. Teaching during the day and attending Manchester College of Commerce in the evenings to gain A levels, Clark made the conscious effort to improve his education. This, in turn, led him to go Manchester University to get a degree (BA Econ) and he was elected President of the Student Union. Clark found a course at UMIST that would enable him to undertake research and continue as President. In the second year of the course he taught at Morecambe College of Further Education whilst continuing the research – he eventually received an MSc.
On completion of his studies he began lecturing in Government and Administration at Salford University (1965-70) and was also a tutor at the University of Manchester (1967-70). As a result of his activity in the Party and having been the first Labour Student Union president at Manchester, he was asked to asked to stand for election to Parliament in the constituency of High Peak. He narrowly failed to gain the nomination (being defeated in a run-off after having been tied in first place) but succeeded in being selected for Manchester Withington. He was defeated in general election of 1966 but did help to decimate the Liberal Party vote in the area. This appealed to those running the party in Colne Valley and they asked him to stand for nomination. Clark did so and went on to win the seat in 1970 only to lose it in the February 1974 election. He failed to regain it in the October election of the same year.
After deciding that his future lay away from the constituency, because of boundary and demographic changes, Clark found it difficult to gain employment as his plan remained to re-enter Parliament. He eventually came to an agreement with Huddersfield University to head-up a politics course on which they required assistance and he worked as a senior lecturer from 1974-79. He had already been selected to fight South Shields in the following election (1979) but could not be too involved in its affairs for fear of unsettling the sitting Labour MP who was due to retire. He contented himself by researching a Ph.D. at Sheffield University which was both a personal achievement and also acted as an ‘insurance policy’ in case of further periods of employment difficulty.
Although not planning or expecting to serve in the shadow cabinet, Clark served in many positions including Opposition Spokesperson on Agriculture and Food (1973-74); Defence (1980-81, resigned as his multilateral views did not coincide with those of the Labour Party); the Environment (1981-86); Environmental protection and development (1986-87); food agriculture and rural affairs (1987-92); and defence, disarmament and arms control (1992-97). Given the successful extended period Clark spent at Defence, it was assumed that he would be given the same position in Cabinet on Labour entering Government. This was not to be the case as Clark himself realised. It was known that Donald Dewar would replace George Robertson as Secretary of State for Scotland and Clark believed that Robertson would be allowed to fulfill his life’s ambition and become Defence Secretary leaving Clark himself with Agriculture.
As it was Clark was made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Here he was responsible for open government and drafting the promised Freedom of Information Bill. He believed that the proposals should be radical, opening up the British state to a degree of scrutiny never before seen. Unfortunately, this placed him in opposition to Lord Irvine (Lord Chancellor) and Jack Straw MP (Home Secretary) who both favoured a more closely guarded state. This conflict meant that Prime Minister Blair felt able to move him out of the Cabinet. He continued to live in the North East during his time in Cabinet, with his wife Christine (Kirby), who he married in 1970 and by who he has one daughter, Catherine. He partly blames his decision to remain in the North East for his move to the back-benches. Clark’s fate was widely anticipated in the press, for around 18 months before it actually happened, and it has been suggested that senior party figures sought to undermine his ideas and him personally. Clark, however, believes and accepts that it was part of a movement of power to Blair’s generation of politicians.
In October 1999 he stood to become the new Speaker of the House of Commons, after receiving numerous representations, along with 11 other candidates. In keeping with his belief in ‘modernisation’, Clark wanted to discard the 18th century costumes including the wig, silk stockings and buckle shoes for all but ceremonial duties. He backed a family-friendly House of Commons, complete with childcare facilities, and also believed that MPs should be allowed to take their laptop computers into committees. He was ‘comprehensively defeated’ (Sky News, 23 October 2000) but was one of those who came closest to defeating the eventual winner, Michael Martin MP. Clark was even said to be one of those considered for a position as Martin’s deputy. Clark though remained unwilling to relinquish his position of influence on the back-benches.
Clark has a strong interest and concern in the environment and his Parliamentary activity in achieving amendments to the Wildlife and Countryside Act provided him with green credentials enabling him to amass votes in the Shadow Cabinet election in 1986. This forced Neil Kinnock (as leader of the Party), against his wishes, to make Clark opposition spokesperson on Environmental Protection and Development. Clark has long been associated with environmental causes and has held a number of positions – President of the Open Spaces Society (1979-88), President of the Northern Ramblers (1979-), Chairman of the Forestry Group (1979-) and Chairman of the All-Party National Parks Group. He even won a Green Ribbon Award for Lifetime Services to the Environment in 1998. Clark holds his putting of green issues onto the mainstream political agenda as one of his finest achievements.
Clark has also written a series of political publications – We Do Not Want The Earth (1992), Victor Grayson, Labour’s Lost Leader (1985), Colne Valley, Radicalism to Socialism (1981) and The Industrial Manager (1966) – and has contributed various articles on management as well as Labour history. His interest in history has also led to him becoming a Trustee of the History of Parliament Trust. In addition, Clark is an advisor and non-executive director of the Homeowners Friendly Society, an organisation he helped to establish as a modern friendly society using contemporary methods of communication to assist people.
A very keen football supporter, Clark has inherited his father’s love of Carlisle United, a joy which he shares with his daughter and both try to see matches as often as possible. Clark is also a shareholder in the club. In addition, he is an avid hill walker, climber and mountaineer especially in the Lake District.
After having been elected to Labour’s shadow cabinet in the 1980s and 1990s, serving in a variety of positions, Clark spent only a very short period in Cabinet. However, far from becoming disillusioned with the Party and using a back-bench position to criticise the Party leadership he has continued to champion his favoured causes – open government, the use of Information Technology and the protection of the environment. Now, as one of Labour’s senior Parliamentarians, he demands a high level of respect and is pleased with his contributions to the environmental agenda, in helping to set up the Food Standards Agency and in being the architect of the Freedom of Information legislation, even though this cost him his position in Cabinet.
From the Dictionary of Labour Biography