A few straightforward questions this week to identify some peers who at some point have moved from one party to another or from one party to the cross-benches. As usual, the first two readers to supply the correct answers will be the winners.
1. I am a cross-bench peer, but I was elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal MP in 1979 and sat for eighteen years. Who am I?
2. I am a former Director of the Conservative Research Department and went on to become a Conservative MP and minister. I now sit on the Labour benches in the Lords. Who am I?
3. I was an advisor to a Prime Minister and was elected as a Labour MP in 1979. I sit on the Liberal Democrat benches in the Lords. Who am I?
4. I am a former party leader who sits as a Conservative, but not a former leader of the Conservative Party. Who am I?
1) Lord Alton of Liverpool
2) Lord Howarth of Newport
3) Lord McNally
4) Lord Trimble
1. Lord Alton of Liverpool
2. Lord Howarth of Newport
3. Lord McNally
4. Lord Trimble
Just back from the weekend and I thought those were hard so well done folks!
I was busy on Saturday too, and by the time I looked at the quiz the answers were already revealed. So, sorry for not entering this week, and well done to the winners.
Congratulations to Chris K and Finnish Cowl for providing the correct answers and doing so promptly. The answers are indeed Lord Alton, who – as David Alton – sat as a Liberal (then Liberal Democrat) MP (Liverpool Edge Hill 1979-83, Liverpool Mossley Hill, 1983-97); Lord Howarth of Newport who, as Alan Howarth, was Director of Conservative Research Department and later sat as Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon; Lord McNally who, as Tom McNally, was an adviser to Prime Minister James Callaghan before being elected as a Labour MP for Stockport South in 1979 and defecting to the SDP in 1981; and Lord Trimble, former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party who now takes the Conservative whip in the House of Lords.
hooray! that’s two.