West Midlands' Most Notorious MPs: From Drunk to Disgraced
Political reputations are frequently tarnished by scandal and controversy, but some figures from West Midlands history stand out for particularly egregious behavior. While today's MPs face scrutiny, they pale in comparison to historical counterparts like Jack Mytton, Shrewsbury's perpetually intoxicated representative from 1819 to 1820.
John Stonehouse: The MP Who Faked His Death
John Stonehouse, Labour MP for Wednesbury and Walsall North from 1957 to 1976, is post-war politics' ultimate wrongdoer. He will forever be remembered as the MP who pulled a "Reggie Perrin"—a reference to the 1970s comedy series where the main character faked his own death.
Stonehouse executed this ruse as his companies' finances came under intense scrutiny. Newspapers believed he had drowned in Miami and even published his obituary. However, he was discovered alive just a month later, captured in Melbourne on Christmas Eve 1974, where he planned to start anew with his secretary and lover, Sheila Buckley.
Initially, police mistook him for the missing Lord Lucan. Stonehouse attributed the bizarre stunt to mental health issues, telling the House of Commons he assumed a "new parallel personality" that despised the "humbug and sham" of his public life. This explanation failed to convince authorities, and he received a seven-year prison sentence for fraud.
Released in 1979, Stonehouse died of a heart attack eight years later at the age of 62, leaving behind a legacy of deception.
Enoch Powell: The Divisive Figure
Enoch Powell, Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West, remains a hugely divisive figure, his reputation permanently stained by the infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech delivered at Birmingham's Midland Hotel on April 20, 1968.
Powell, a political opportunist, knew his outburst would resonate with many white constituents. He deliberately fanned the flames of intolerance, warning of racial conflict with the dramatic line, "Like the Roman, I seem to see 'the River Tiber foaming with much blood'"—a reference to Virgil.
The speech created the controversy Powell craved, leading to his dismissal from the shadow cabinet and condemnation from The Times as evil. Yet, public support surged; within days, over 1,000 dockers marched on Westminster chanting his name, and polls showed widespread agreement with his views.
In 1974, Powell further demonstrated his unpredictability by leaving the Conservative Party to join the Ulster Unionists, winning a seat for them in the General Election. He died in 1998 at age 85, with his predictions of racial violence proven false by today's more integrated society.
Neville Chamberlain: The Misjudged Leader
Many may dispute Neville Chamberlain's inclusion on this list, as he was a good man who pioneered social reforms for Birmingham. However, history often paints him as weak for his appeasement of Adolf Hitler.
Following the horrors of World War I, Chamberlain's desperate attempts to avoid another bloody conflict were understandable, reflecting a nation still scarred by war. This may have blinded him to Hitler's true intentions. His lasting image is from September 30, 1938, when he held aloft a paper declaring "Peace in our time," after handing Hitler a slice of Czechoslovakia—a move that failed to derail the Third Reich's plans.
Birmingham historian Professor Carl Chinn argues Chamberlain has been sorely misjudged, calling him an "exceptional politician" who bought valuable time to prepare for war. Broken by his blunder, Chamberlain died of bowel cancer on November 9, 1940, at age 71.
John 'Mad Jack' Mytton: The Permanently Drunk MP
In the league of lamentably poor MPs, John 'Mad Jack' Mytton, Conservative MP for Shrewsbury from 1819 to 1820, is the undisputed champion. Fortified by an addiction to eight bottles of port per day, he exhibited a death wish and reckless behavior.
Mytton deliberately overturned a horse-drawn carriage to experience the accident, severely injuring a passenger. He once set his nightshirt on fire to cure hiccups, suffering severe burns. Guests at his stately home fled in terror when he rode a bear into the dining room, spurring the animal into a rampage.
He often stripped naked while fox hunting or shooting ducks, even tearing off his clothes while on horseback. Mytton became an MP only by paying Shrewsbury residents to vote for him, spending a mere 30 minutes in the House of Commons before finding it tedious. When Parliament dissolved in 1820, he declined to stand for re-election.
Mytton died penniless in debtors' prison on March 29, 1834, at age 37—a surprisingly ripe age given his extreme lifestyle.
