John Heddle

John Heddle
On the television discussion programme After Dark, March 1988 - "No Place Like Home"
Member of Parliament for Mid Staffordshire Lichfield and Tamworth (1979–1983)
In office 3 May 1979 – 19 December 1989
Preceded by	Bruce Grocott
Succeeded by	Sylvia Heal
Personal details
Born	Bentley John Heddle (1943-09-15)15 September 1943
Died	19 December 1989(1989-12-19) (aged 46) near Chartham, Kent, England
Political party	Conservative

Bentley John Heddle (15 September 1943 – 19 December 1989) was a British Conservative Party politician.

Political career

Heddle contested Gateshead West in February 1974, being beaten by Labour's John Horam. In October 1974 he stood in Bolton East, but was again defeated.

He was Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth from 1979 to 1983, and for Mid Staffordshire from 1983.

Death

Early on 19 December 1989, Heddle was found dead in his car in a chalk pit near Chartham in Kent.[1] A hose was found connected to the car's exhaust pipe.[2] The death was ruled a suicide; he reportedly killed himself due to the indebtedness of his property businesses.[3] The subsequent by-election was won by Labour's Sylvia Heal.

References

• The Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Ltd, 1987

1. "MP found dead in car", The Times, 20 December 1989
2. "By-election test for Tories after death of MP". The Glasgow Herald. 20 December 1989. p. 5. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
3. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 17 December 1997". Retrieved 5 July 2009.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Heddle

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Bruce Grocott	Member of Parliament for Lichfield & Tamworth 1979 – 1983	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Mid Staffordshire 1983 – 1989	Succeeded by Sylvia Heal