Plaque for Lord Jenkins

This weekend some long-standing Putney Labour Party members and I will be joining members of the Putney Society to unveil a commemorative plaque for Lord Jenkins of Putney at Kenilworth Court, where he lived for a long part of his life.

Hugh Jenkins was Labour MP for Putney between 1964 and 1979; he was the first-ever Labour MP for the constituency, defeating Conservative Sir Hugh Linstead. His wife Marie also served as a local councillor in Southfields. In parliament, during which time he was returned five times as MP for Putney, he rose to become Arts Minister.

Outside parliament, Hugh was a committed peace campaigner and after he was defeated in Putney in 1979 he became chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He was elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Jenkins of Putney, in 1981. Before becoming MP for Putney, Hugh was Deputy General Secretary of Equity and after his service he served on the Board of the Royal National Theatre.

Hugh did a huge amount for Putney and was a great supporter of the local Labour Party until his death almost exactly five years ago. He even wrote a book profiling the work of grassroots Labour Party members in Putney: Rank and File: Portrait of a Constituency Labour Party. Many of those who are referred to in the book will be attending the plaque unveiling on Saturday.

You can read more about Hugh Jenkins' life in The Guardian obituary here.