Peter Temple-Morris, Baron Temple-Morris (12 February 1938 – 1 May 2018) was a British politician. He was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Leominster in 1974; he stood down in 2001 after changing parties. He sat in the House of Lords as a Labour peer. He died on 1 May 2018 aged 80.[1]
Temple-Morris resigned after he was suspended from the Conservative Party in 1997 because Tory officials said he had "repeatedly and publicly questioned his continued commitment to the Conservative Party."[2] Speaking after his resignation, the MP told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm not surprised in all the circumstances and not a little bit relieved in view of the unhappy state of politics of the Conservative Party for some years now."
The BBC reported that Conservative leader William Hague's action would be seen as an attempt to deflect attention from disappointing election results in Winchester and Beckenham. As for Temple-Morris, his disaffection toward his old party grew due to their hard-line stance on the euro.[citation needed]
From 1997 to 1998, Temple-Morris sat on the government Labour benches, but did not take the whip, instead sitting as a one-man 'Independent One-Nation Conservative' group. However, on Saturday 20 June 1998 he joined the Labour Party but stood down as an MP at the 2001 general election. He is the only person ever to serve as a Labour MP representing Herefordshire, though he was never elected as a member of that party.
Outside politics, Temple-Morris was appointed Chairman of the Macleod Group, an association of left-of-centre Conservative MPs, in 1979. Since 1995, he was President of the British-Iranian Business Association Society.
Temple-Morris married Taheré Khozeimé-Alam (the daughter of Amir-Hossein Khozeimé Alam of Dezashib who fled to London from Iran in 1979)[9] in 1964 in London.[10] The couple had two sons and two daughters.[5]
When he was an MP, Temple-Morris was known for his love of shooting, wine and food.[10]
Coat of arms of Peter Temple-Morris
Crest
In front of a Representation of Aitoff's Projection of the Globe a Mullet as in the Arms
Escutcheon
Argent in front of Representation of Aitoff's Projection of the Globe Azure the Land Masses Argent a Mullet of four points gyronny of eight Argent and Sable the fesswise points extended on a Chief Argent four Workmen hauling on a rope Argent
Supporters
Dexter: a Surveyor supporting by the exterior hand a Theodolite; Sinister: a Carpenter holding in the exterior hand a Tenon Saw, each wearing a Safety Helmet all proper