Alan Hurst (politician)

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Alan Hurst
Hurst as an MP
Member of Parliament
for Braintree
In office
1 May 1997 – 11 April 2005
Preceded byTony Newton
Succeeded byBrooks Newmark
Essex County Councillor for Orsett and Stifford
In office
6 May 1993 – 1 April 1998
Preceded byPeter Revell
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born
Alan Arthur Hurst

(1945-09-02)2 September 1945
Southend-on-Sea, England
Died31 January 2023(2023-01-31) (aged 77)
Political partyLabour
Spouse
Hilary Burch
​
(m. 1976)​
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Liverpool

Alan Arthur Hurst (2 September 1945 – 31 January 2023) was a British solicitor and Labour politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Braintree in Essex from 1997 to 2005.

Early life

Hurst was born in

Southend,[1] the son of George Hurst. He attended Westcliff High School for Boys in Westcliff-on-Sea. From the University of Liverpool, he gained a BA
in History.

Before being elected an MP, he had been deputy leader of

Southend-on-Sea Council, joining the council in 1968. He continued to practise part-time as a solicitor while an MP. In 1993, he was elected to Essex County Council
for the Orsett & Stifford division.

Parliamentary career

At the 1997 general election, he caused a stir by overturning Tony Newton's majority of 17,494, with a majority of 1,494; Braintree had been Conservative since the 1955 election. Almost as surprising (though not with hindsight, since the Tories made next to no progress nationally in 2001) was his holding the seat at the 2001 general election, though this time with a majority of 358, making it Labour's second-most marginal victory at that election and the sixth-most overall.[2] He lost the seat in the 2005 general election to Brooks Newmark of the Conservative Party.[3]

Hurst never held government office, remaining a

free vote.[5]

Personal life

Hurst married in July 1969[6] and had one son in 1974.[7] Hurst married Hilary Burch in 1976; they had a son and a daughter.[8]

Hurst died on 31 January 2023 at the age of 77.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Braintree MP Brooks Newmark quits as government minister". ITV News. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  4. ^ "The Public Whip — Voting Record – Mr Alan Hurst MP, Braintree (10302)". publicwhip.org.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Voting record – Mr Alan Hurst, former MP, Braintree". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  8. ^ "BBC NEWS | VOTE 2001 | CANDIDATES". BBC News. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  9. ^ Critchell, Matthew (3 February 2023). "Tributes to former Southend councillor Alan Hurst". The Echo. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Braintree
1997–2005 		Succeeded by
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