Sir George Young: Into Parliament - "The Bicycling Baronet"
Visit these pages for different aspects of my life, family and career:
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The Member for Acton
Sir George was elected to Parliament in February 1974 with a majority of 1300, defeating the sitting Labour MP, Nigel Spearing. Nigel returned in a by-election a few weeks later in Newham, and the two remained good friends until Nigel retired in 1992. Sir George held the seat against the swing in the following election in October 1974 with a majority of 808. He was the sixth MP for Acton - then a key marginal - in 15 years, but held the seat for 23 years until it was abolished. |
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After his election to Parliament in 1974, Sir George bicycled regularly from
Acton to Westminster. He could do the seven mile journey in less than 30 minutes,
going through Hyde Park and startling the pigeons.
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The Youngs promote cycling by rail
On 1982, along with Jimmy Saville, the Youngs featured on
a British Rail poster promoting the transport of bicycles by rail.
Sir George had made a critical speech in the House, having
found British Rail restrictive and at times unhelpful to cyclists.
Putting his bicycle in the guards van felt like invading someone's private space.When they responded with some improvements, BR invited
Sir George to help with their publicity.
(Some of these posters were still up at stations in Ealing during the 1983 General Election campaign. Ingeniously, Sir George's opponents argued that British Rail's publicity programme should be added to Sir George's election expenses. They didn't get very far, as Sir George's name was not on the poster.) |
Other Biographical Pages:
Early Years - Into Politics
On (and off) The Front Bench - Active Backbencher - Member for North West Hampshire
Aurelia (Lady Young) - The Young Family
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Sir George Young Bt MP: Constituency and Parliamentary Website 