[4], Stonehouse allegedly began spying for Czechoslovakia in 1962. Southern Rhodesia African National Congress, Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, "MI5 monitored union and CND leaders with ministers' backing, book reveals", "Tory MP Raymond Mawby sold information to Czech spies", contributions in Parliament by John Stonehouse. More than twenty years after his death, it was publicly revealed that he had been an agent for the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic military intelligence. Stonehouse married Barbara Joan Smith in 1948, and they had two daughters, Jane and Julia, and a son, Mathew. Video, 00:02:57, Dublin 'having someone different' as Lord Mayor. Video, 00:01:55, How to make a dramatic political resignation, BBC Archive: Lord Lucan's disappearance. Stonehouse tendered his resignation from the House of Commons on 27 August 1976. ), Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Wright, Edward ‘Ed’ (2006). His debut, An American Outlaw, gained wide acclaim among readers and reviewers alike - both it and the following books have gone on to become bestsellers at Amazon, Apple i-Books, Barnes & Noble and at Kobo. The Bodley Head. Stonehouse was arrested on 24 December 1974. His mother, Rosina Stonehouse[1] (born Rosina M. Taylor)[2][2] was the sixth female mayor of Southampton[3] and councillor on Southampton City Council. It appeared that he had gone swimming, and had been drowned or possibly killed by a shark. How MP John Stonehouse's Reggie Perrin-style faked death stunned British politics 40 years ago. John Stonehouse: The MP who faked his death, John Stonehouse: The MP who faked his death. He was presumed dead, and obituaries were published despite the fact that no corpse had been found. Inquiries led the teller to learn that the money was in the name of Joe Markham and he informed the local police. It provided for the exchange of specialists and information, facilities for study and research in technology, and such other forms of industrial co-operation which might be agreed.[5]. When Labour was defeated at the 1970 general election, he was not appointed to the Shadow Cabinet. After their divorce in 1978, Stonehouse married his mistress Sheila Elizabeth Buckley in Hampshire on 31 January 1981. They contacted Scotland Yard, requesting pictures of both Lucan and Stonehouse.[11]. Although unhappy with the situation, the Labour Party did not expel him. Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea! Although unhappy with the situation, the Labour Party did not expel him. From January 1980, Stonehouse was a volunteer fundraiser for the East London-based charity, Community Links. Stonehouse married Barbara Joan Smith in 1948, and they had two daughters, Jane and Julia, and a son, Mathew. "Prohibited Immigrant". On his arrest, the police instructed him to pull down his trousers so they could be sure whether or not he was Lord Lucan, who had a six-inch scar on the inside of his right thigh.[10]. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Attention at the time turned to Stonehouse's financial affairs, particularly when stories began to emerge of inconsistencies in the accounts of a charity he was involved in. Stonehouse conducted his own defence. ISBN, "Oil on the Rift". Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. On 7 April 1976, he resigned the Labour whip, making them a minority government. View the profiles of people named John Stonehouse. When the Wednesbury constituency was abolished in 1974, he stood for and was elected to the nearby Walsall North constituency. Just under three weeks later, early on 14 April, he suffered a massive heart attack at his house at Dales Way, Totton, where he had moved six months earlier, having lived in London since his release from prison, his last address there was at 20 Shirland Mews. Read about our approach to external linking. The MP's trial, on 21 charges of fraud, theft, forgery, conspiracy to defraud, causing a false police investigation and wasting police time, lasted 68 days. Speaking to the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress, he encouraged Blacks to stand up for their rights and said they had the support of the British Labour Party. John Thomson Stonehouse (28 July 1925 – 14 April 1988) was a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician and junior minister under Harold Wilson. More than twenty years after his death, it was publicly revealed that he had been an agent for the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic military intelligence. The teller who handled the money later spotted "Mildoon" at the Bank of New South Wales. He was already in prison for fraud and the government decided there was insufficient evidence to bring him to trial, so no announcement or prosecution was made. Select the department you want to search in. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. In February 1959, Stonehouse travelled to Rhodesia on a fact-finding tour in which he condemned the white minority government of Southern Rhodesia. Always keen to highlight debut authors, John Stonehouse has proved to be a real find with his first book, An American Outlaw. ', Uncovering the secrets of Australia's hidden reefs. Using false identities, Stonehouse set about transferring large sums of money between banks as a further means of covering his tracks. ISBN, "The Baring Fault". After 1970, Stonehouse set up various companies in an attempt to secure a regular income. He was given emergency medical treatment at the studio and an ambulance was called. [6] In December 2010, it was revealed that then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had agreed in 1980 to cover up revelations that Stonehouse had been a Czech spy since the 1960s as there was insufficient evidence to bring him to trial. Backs Kid’s Content, Banijay, Banijay Rights Signs First-Look Deal With Producer Ellie Wood (Exclusive).