Peter Griffiths - Life

Life

Griffiths attended West Bromwich Grammar School, Leeds Teacher Training College and London and Birmingham Universities before entering a teaching career. In 1955 he was elected to Smethwick County Borough Council.

He served as a councillor until 1963 when he resigned to fight the Smethwick parliamentary seat in the forthcoming general election against the sitting Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Gordon Walker. Labour were expected to win the 1964 election, and Gordon Walker was Foreign Secretary designate. Smethwick had been a focus of immigration from the Commonwealth during the years of economic and industrial growth following World War II. It was perhaps for these reasons that race and nationality featured prominently in what became an increasingly ill-tempered local election campaign in 1964.

In criticism of both government and opposition immigration policy, Griffiths ran an anti-immigration campaign, benefiting from the infamous slogan "If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Labour". It is a common misconception that this was Griffith's campaign slogan. In fact, posters with the racist slogan were erected around the area, although it is unclear as to who was responsible for them. His defeat of Gordon Walker shocked the establishment; Harold Wilson stated in the House of Commons that Griffiths should "serve his term here as a parliamentary leper". In his maiden speech in the Commons, however, Griffiths pointed out the problems faced by local industry and drew attention to the fact that 4,000 families were awaiting local authority accommodation. Griffiths also wrote his own account of the election in 1966.

Griffiths was in turn defeated by Labour candidate Andrew Faulds in the 1966 general election and returned to a career in education. He unsuccessfully fought the Portsmouth North constituency in February 1974 general election, but did not stand in the October 1974 election. However, he stood again at the 1979 general election, defeating the sitting Labour MP Frank Judd. He held the seat until the Labour landslide at the 1997 election.

He is married to Jeannette, née Rubery, and they have one son and one daughter.