Famous Faces of Torbay: The rise of Jeremy Thorpe MP

Part One

Born in South Kensington, London, on April 29th, 1929, to John H Thorpe and a grandson of Sir Norton-Griffiths (Conservative Leader) Jeremy, like his grandfather, was destined to get involved in politics.

As early as 1949, he was elected President of Oxford University Liberal Club and on his 21st birthday, his name went forward to the Liberal Party’s Candidate List.

By April 1952 he had been adopted as the Liberal Candidate for North Devon constituency which was a Liberal seat until 1951 when it’s share of the votes fell heavily and Liberals found themselves in third place behind the Conservatives. 

Jeremy now worked tirelessly for the constituency while continually monitoring National affairs daily. Associated Rediffusion spotted his skill and so asked him to Chair their new television programme on science.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Eden was announcing a snap General Election when Jeremy’s hard work paid off as his vote halved the Conservative vote giving the Liberals second place in North Devon.

Popular Devon journalist Christopher Booker then wrote "Thorpe had an extraordinary ability to both cheer up his followers and send up his opponents" though Chris failed to mention Jeremy’s shortcomings - being a clandestine homosexual.

With no private income, Jeremy wished to be a lawyer and was called to the Bar in February 1954 only to quickly discover earnings from “fees” were tedious. In wishing to earn more anyway he turned to journalism and media presentation and in loving travel, these seemed a far more attractive proposition.

Sent to Ghana to report on their Independence Celebrations, in the following year he was sent again to report on the plot to assassinate King Hussein in Jordon. On his return he was invited to be on BBC Radio “Any Questions programme” while still actively trying to win local voters over in his constituency. He found walking the pavements daily hard but again it paid when he was elected Member of Parliament for North Devon in October 1959 - albeit on a small majority of just 362 votes.

His maiden speech to the House of Commons on November 10th 1959 saw him using the current debate on the Employment Bill to good effect. Also, members enjoyed his witticisms and mimicking the Devon dialect and, in fact this he used again in his speech at Torquay when supporting Mrs Bridget Trethewey trying to gain the seat for his Liberal Party. 

Now Jeremy supported his local party in virtually all local issues including the new North Devon Hospital, keeping the Barnstaple railway link open to Exeter and even supporting the proposed North Devon Link road from the M5.

The 1964 General Election saw Jeremy’s majority rise to 5000, while soon the Party Leader Joe Grimond announced he wanted to stand down. Thorpe immediately put his name forward as did two others, although Jeremy also added he really did want to be Party leader.

Now his two rival candidates withdrew and in January 1967 Thorpe was  “formally elected” and acknowledged as Leader of the National Liberal Party.  He quickly proposed a new group of  "Liberal Winnable Seats" - very visionary, and this brought the Party rewards in numerous local Bye-elections culminating in a major Liberal victory at Orpington when voters elected a Liberal MP having a majority of 7855.

With numerous Local Election’s won the Liberal Party now were seen as being on equal terms with Labour, yet while all this was happening (the public learned later), Thorpe's homosexual activities were being monitored by the police who even forwarded official notes to M.I.5 though no action was ever taken. 

Mr Thorpe had met his future nemesis Norman Scott in 1961 and within four years, had asked his close friend Peter Bessell to help him resolve the “irritant" - Norman Scott. Then at his own wedding, he asked his best man David Holmes for help and he then introduced Anthony Newton (a pilot) to enter the intrigue, which was later named a “sordid affair”.

At about the same time, Young Liberal's (YL’s) were also becoming an "irritant" which Thorpe seemed unable to resolve. Their far left views were constantly in the news and Thorpe knew this could only help the Conservatives.

Being, of course, much younger than his Parliamentary counterparts Edward Heath and Harold Wilson, Thorpe knew with the YL,s constantly in the news and refusing to tow the Party line they were doing harm to the National Party. (To be continued next week).

In welcoming Mr Thorpe to Torquay to speak at The Rosetor Hotel in support of our candidate Mrs Bridget Trethewey I was later quoted as saying, he was unquestionably the best speaker we had ever heard.