Michael Foot

Michael Foot
Foot in 1981
Michael Foot
Born	Michael Mackintosh Foot 23 July 1913
Birthplace	Plymouth, Devon, England
Died	3 March 2010 London, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Politician, journalist, author
Known for	Leader of the Labour Party (1980–1983), co-author of Guilty Men (1940)
Education	Wadham College, Oxford
Spouse(s)	Jill Craigie (m. 1949; d. 1999)
Awards	Freedom of the City of Plymouth, Padma Vibhushan (India)

Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 1913 – 3 March 2010) was a British politician, journalist, and author who served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1980 to 1983. A figure whose political life spanned the better part of the twentieth century, Foot was a Member of Parliament for some 42 years, representing constituencies in Plymouth and later Ebbw Vale in south Wales. He began his career as a journalist, contributing to and editing the left-wing weekly Tribune, and rose to prominence as co-author of Guilty Men, the 1940 polemic that excoriated the architects of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler. An orator of considerable power and a prolific writer, Foot served in the cabinets of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, holding the posts of Secretary of State for Employment and Leader of the House of Commons. He was Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980 before being elected party leader as a compromise candidate. His leadership was marked by internal party divisions, the breakaway of the Social Democratic Party, and the disastrous 1983 general election, in which Labour recorded its lowest share of the vote in over six decades. He resigned the leadership following that defeat and was succeeded by Neil Kinnock. Foot remained active as a writer and campaigner until late in life, and he died in London on 3 March 2010 at the age of ninety-six.

Early Life

Michael Mackintosh Foot was born on 23 July 1913 in Plymouth, Devon, into a prominent Liberal family. His father, Isaac Foot, was a solicitor and Liberal Member of Parliament who served as the member for Bodmin. The Foot household was steeped in political discussion, nonconformist religion, and a deep reverence for books and literature. Isaac Foot amassed a library of some tens of thousands of volumes and instilled in his children a love of reading and debate that would profoundly shape Michael's intellectual development.

Michael was one of several brothers, several of whom achieved distinction in public life. Hugh Foot became a diplomat and served as the United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while John Foot became a solicitor and was created a life peer. The family's Liberal political tradition was a formative influence, though Michael would ultimately move leftward and join the Labour Party.

Growing up in Plymouth, Foot developed an early passion for literature, particularly the works of Jonathan Swift, William Hazlitt, and Lord Byron, writers whose radical political sensibilities and rhetorical brilliance would remain touchstones throughout his life. He was also an ardent supporter of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, a devotion he maintained for the rest of his life.

Foot's early years were also shaped by the political turbulence of the interwar period. The rise of fascism in Europe and the perceived failure of the British establishment to confront it became central preoccupations. These concerns animated his journalism in the late 1930s and laid the groundwork for the polemical writing that would first bring him to national attention.

Education

Foot was educated at Leighton Park School, a Quaker school in Reading, before proceeding to Wadham College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. At Oxford, he became president of the Oxford Union, the university's debating society, and was already developing the formidable oratorical skills for which he would become known. He also became active in student politics, initially as a Liberal before shifting toward socialism. His time at Oxford brought him into contact with a generation of politically engaged young men and women who would go on to shape post-war British public life.

Career

Journalism and Guilty Men

After leaving Oxford, Foot embarked on a career in journalism. He joined the staff of the New Statesman and subsequently worked for Lord Beaverbrook's Evening Standard, an unlikely association given that Beaverbrook was a Conservative press baron and Foot a committed socialist. The relationship between the two men was complex and enduring; Beaverbrook valued Foot's writing talent and rhetorical energy, and Foot in turn admired Beaverbrook's personal vitality despite their political differences.

Foot also became closely associated with the left-wing weekly Tribune, which he edited at various points in his career. Tribune served as a platform for democratic socialist ideas and was associated with the left wing of the Labour Party. Foot's editorship helped define the paper's character as a forum for dissent within the labour movement.

In 1940, at a moment of national crisis following the fall of France and the retreat from Dunkirk, Foot co-authored Guilty Men with Frank Owen and Peter Howard under the collective pseudonym "Cato." The pamphlet was a devastating indictment of the politicians — chiefly Neville Chamberlain, Sir Samuel Hoare, and Lord Halifax — whom the authors held responsible for the policy of appeasement that had left Britain unprepared for war. Published by Victor Gollancz, Guilty Men became an immediate bestseller and one of the most influential political pamphlets of the twentieth century. It shaped public perception of the appeasement era and contributed to the political climate that would bring the Labour Party to power in 1945.

Member of Parliament (1945–1955)

Foot entered Parliament for the first time in the 1945 general election, winning the seat of Plymouth Devonport for Labour in the landslide that brought Clement Attlee's government to power. As a backbencher, Foot allied himself with the left of the party and became a prominent supporter of Aneurin Bevan, the architect of the National Health Service and the leading figure of the Labour left. The relationship between Foot and Bevan was one of the defining political partnerships of post-war British socialism. Foot shared Bevan's commitment to democratic socialism, unilateral nuclear disarmament, and resistance to what they saw as the rightward drift of the Labour leadership.

Foot lost his Plymouth Devonport seat in the 1955 general election, temporarily removing him from Parliament. During this period out of the House of Commons, he continued his work as a journalist and author, and he devoted himself to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), becoming one of its most prominent advocates. He also undertook the writing of a major biography of Aneurin Bevan, a work that would eventually run to two volumes and be recognised as one of the finest political biographies in the English language.

Return to Parliament and Ebbw Vale (1960–1974)

In 1960, Foot returned to Parliament as the member for Ebbw Vale in south Wales, the constituency previously held by Aneurin Bevan, who had died earlier that year. The seat was a stronghold of the Labour left, and Foot's adoption as its representative was a mark of the esteem in which he was held by the Bevanite wing of the party. He would represent Ebbw Vale (later renamed Blaenau Gwent) for the remainder of his parliamentary career, until his retirement in 1992.

Throughout the 1960s, Foot remained a prominent voice on the Labour left. He was a consistent critic of British membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), arguing that it threatened parliamentary sovereignty and the capacity of a Labour government to pursue socialist economic policies. He was also an ardent supporter of CND and a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, a position that placed him at odds with the Labour leadership and with much of the political establishment.

Secretary of State for Employment (1974–1976)

When Harold Wilson returned to power following the February 1974 general election, Foot was appointed Secretary of State for Employment. This appointment was significant, as it marked Foot's transition from left-wing backbencher and critic to member of the Cabinet. In this role, Foot was responsible for managing the government's relationship with the trade unions at a time of intense industrial unrest and economic difficulty. He played a central role in the passage of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974 and the Employment Protection Act 1975, legislation that strengthened workers' rights and the legal position of trade unions. His ability to work with trade union leaders and to maintain a functioning relationship between the government and the labour movement was widely seen as one of his principal achievements in office.

Leader of the House of Commons and Deputy Leader (1976–1980)

Following Harold Wilson's resignation in 1976, James Callaghan became Prime Minister. Callaghan appointed Foot as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, positions Foot held from 8 April 1976 to 4 May 1979. In this capacity, Foot was responsible for managing the government's legislative programme in the House of Commons, a task that required considerable parliamentary skill given that the Labour government lacked an overall majority for much of this period. Foot also served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under Callaghan from 1976 to 1980.

Foot's tenure as Leader of the House coincided with a period of acute political difficulty for the government. The Lib-Lab Pact of 1977–78, under which the Liberal Party agreed to support the government in confidence votes, was a measure of the precariousness of Labour's parliamentary position. Foot's role in holding the government together during this period required the exercise of considerable diplomatic and parliamentary skill. The government ultimately fell following a vote of no confidence on 28 March 1979, leading to the general election that brought Margaret Thatcher to power.

Leader of the Labour Party (1980–1983)

Following Labour's defeat in the 1979 general election and James Callaghan's decision to step down as leader, Foot was elected Leader of the Labour Party in November 1980, defeating Denis Healey in the leadership contest. Foot was elected as a compromise candidate: he was acceptable to the left of the party, with which he had been associated for most of his career, while also being seen as a figure who might hold the party together at a time of intense internal division.

Foot's leadership was beset by difficulties from the outset. The Labour Party was riven by ideological conflict between its left and right wings over issues including unilateral nuclear disarmament, withdrawal from the EEC, and the extent of public ownership. In January 1981, a group of senior Labour figures — including Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers, and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four" — broke away to form the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing what they described as the leftward drift of Labour under Foot's leadership. The defection of these figures and a number of Labour MPs to the SDP represented a serious blow to the party and split the anti-Conservative vote.

Foot's public image also proved a liability. He was not a natural television performer and his appearance — he was once likened to "Worzel Gummidge," a scarecrow character from a children's television programme — attracted derision in some quarters of the press. A particular controversy arose over his appearance at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in 1981, when he wore what was described in the press as a "donkey jacket," though the coat was in fact a short green overcoat. The incident became a symbol of the media's hostility toward Foot's leadership and of the mismatch between Foot's essentially literary and oratorical gifts and the demands of modern media-driven politics.

The 1983 general election was a catastrophe for Labour. The party's manifesto, which committed it to unilateral nuclear disarmament, withdrawal from the EEC, and an extensive programme of nationalisation, was described by the Labour MP Gerald Kaufman as "the longest suicide note in history." Labour won only 27.6 percent of the vote, its lowest share since 1918, and returned just 209 MPs, its fewest since 1935. The SDP-Liberal Alliance came close to overtaking Labour in the popular vote, winning 25.4 percent. Foot resigned the leadership shortly after the election, and Neil Kinnock was elected as his successor.

Later Parliamentary Career and Retirement

After stepping down as party leader, Foot remained in Parliament as the member for Blaenau Gwent (the renamed Ebbw Vale constituency) until 1992. He continued to speak from the backbenches on issues including nuclear disarmament, civil liberties, and the National Health Service. He remained a committed supporter of CND and an opponent of British nuclear weapons. He also devoted increasing time to his literary pursuits, publishing further works of biography, political commentary, and literary criticism.

Literary Career

Foot was throughout his life as much a writer as a politician. His two-volume biography of Aneurin Bevan, published in 1962 and 1973, was a landmark of British political biography, combining rigorous historical research with the passionate advocacy of a friend and political ally. He also wrote extensively on Jonathan Swift, William Hazlitt, and Lord Byron, figures whose radical politics and literary brilliance he admired. His book The Politics of Paradise: A Vindication of Byron (1988) was a notable contribution to literary criticism. He was also the author of works on H.G. Wells and other writers.

Foot's journalism, particularly his work for Tribune and the Evening Standard, was characterised by a fluent and combative prose style that drew on his deep immersion in English literary tradition. He was described by contemporaries as one of the finest political writers of his generation.

Personal Life

In 1949, Foot married Jill Craigie, a documentary filmmaker and feminist writer. The couple had no children. Craigie was a significant figure in her own right, known for her films on subjects including women's suffrage and the post-war reconstruction of Plymouth. The marriage was by all accounts a close and devoted one, and the couple shared a home in Hampstead, London, where they were known for their hospitality and their extensive library. Jill Craigie died in 1999.

Foot was a lifelong bibliophile who accumulated a vast personal library. His passion for books extended beyond politics to encompass English literature, history, and philosophy. He was known for his love of long walks, particularly on Hampstead Heath, an activity he continued into old age despite increasing frailty. He was also a devoted follower of Plymouth Argyle Football Club throughout his life.

Foot suffered from chronic health problems in later life, including poor eyesight and difficulty walking. He died at his home in London on 3 March 2010 at the age of ninety-six.

Recognition

Foot received a number of honours and awards during his long life. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of Plymouth, reflecting his long association with the city of his birth. He was also awarded India's Padma Vibhushan, one of the country's highest civilian honours, in recognition of his longstanding commitment to Indian independence and his friendship with Indian political leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

Despite his electoral failure as party leader, Foot was widely respected within the Labour Party and the broader left for his personal integrity, his oratorical power, and his commitment to democratic socialism. The People's History Museum in Manchester holds a collection of Foot's papers and personal effects, including the coat he wore at the Cenotaph in 1981, which has become one of the museum's most notable exhibits.

His two-volume biography of Aneurin Bevan was regarded as a major work of political biography, and his literary criticism, particularly his writings on Byron, Swift, and Hazlitt, earned him recognition as a writer of distinction beyond the political sphere.

Legacy

Michael Foot's legacy is complex and contested. To his admirers on the Labour left, he represented a tradition of principled democratic socialism rooted in parliamentary democracy, civil liberties, and a deep commitment to the welfare state. His defenders argued that the 1983 election defeat was the product of exceptional circumstances — the Falklands War, the SDP split, and a hostile press — rather than evidence that his political convictions were electorally unviable.

To his critics, Foot's leadership represented a period in which Labour became unelectable, and his attachment to policies such as unilateral nuclear disarmament and withdrawal from the EEC placed the party outside the mainstream of British public opinion. The 1983 result was long used as a cautionary tale by those within the Labour Party who argued for a more centrist approach.

Foot's career has been reassessed in light of subsequent developments in British politics. The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in 2015 prompted numerous comparisons between the two men, though commentators noted that the parallels were in many respects inexact. Foot had served in Cabinet and held senior positions within the party hierarchy; his political experience was far more extensive than Corbyn's at the time of his election.

As a writer, Foot's reputation has proved more durable than his political legacy. His biographies of Bevan, his literary criticism, and his journalism represent a body of work that stands independently of his parliamentary career. He embodied a tradition in British public life — the politician as man of letters — that has few contemporary equivalents.

Foot's death in 2010 prompted tributes from across the political spectrum. He was described by the Dissent magazine as "the soul of the democratic Left in England," a characterisation that captured both the depth of his commitment and the limits of his political success.