Bradford-educated Barbara Castle was political trailblazer

First was the inspiring story of Julia Varley, Bradford’s first prominent female trade unionist with a national reputation. Next was Florence White who fought hard for pensions reform, which was to benefit millions of women.

Neither was involved in mainstream politics. The first woman with a strong Bradford connection to make her name in politics was Barbara Castle (nee Betts, 1910-2002). For at least a decade after the election of the 1964 Labour Government, led by Harold Wilson (born and bred in nearby Huddersfield), she was the most famous female MP in the country and the likeliest to become the country’s first female Prime Minister.

Barbara Castle in 1965 (Image: Submitted)

However, both she and the Labour Party fell out of favour in the 1970s over trade union reform. So, in 1979 it was Conservative Margaret Thatcher rather than Labour Barbara Castle who broke that particular glass ceiling.

Although women gained the vote in 1918, the growth in women MPs was slow. From 1918 to 1945 there were in total only 53 female MPs. The post-World War II intake of 1945 attracted just 24 female MPs, including Barbara Castle elected in Blackburn. Until the 1997 election, when the next Labour Government was elected, only 10 women had ever served as Cabinet Ministers. One was Castle.

Only one woman had served longer as an MP (out of over 100) when she retired some 34 years after first being elected, still representing Blackburn. The 1997 intake grew fivefold to 120, and 22 years later this nearly doubled to 240. Only five out of over 550 women MPs have to date served longer. Castle’s political achievements should be seen against this context of female politicians struggling to prosper.

Born in Chesterfield, Barbara Betts came to Bradford aged 12, when her father’s job as a tax inspector moved the family. With her elder sister she was educated at the fee-paying Bradford Girls’ Grammar School, surprisingly in view of their parents’ egalitarian beliefs. Both parents were Labour Party activists.

Growing up in Bradford with its history of radical socialism was the right place for their daughter. She became head girl, developing an interest in political debate as she stood as a Labour candidate at a mock general election at school. Her interest was stimulated by her father who became editor of the city’s weekly socialist newspaper, the Bradford Pioneer.

Barbara won a place at Oxford University but was more interested in practical politics than academic study, only achieving a third-class degree in the new subject of philosophy, politics, and economics, a course highly popular with many later would-be politicians. However, as a woman she could not progress beyond Treasurer of the University Labour Party. There was no question of a female undergraduate speaking in the union or becoming chairman of a student political club.

Although she became active in the local Labour Party in Hyde, where her parents now lived, on graduating with an indifferent degree she struggled to find suitable employment. After much trial and error in developing a career, she decided to stand for Parliament. At 34 she became the youngest female MP in the 1945 intake.

Plaque dedicated to Barbara Castle in London (Image: Submitted)

In the post-war Clement Attlee Government she acted as private parliamentary secretary for two ministers, including the young Harold Wilson whose protégé she became. However, with Labour in opposition from 1951 and the moderate Gaitskell replacing Attlee as Leader in 1955, she lost influence in the 1950s Labour Party until Wilson became leader after Hugh Gaitskell died in 1963.

She was a prominent member of Wilson’s cabinet (1964-1970), becoming Britain’s foremost female politician. After a successful year in International Development, she was promoted to Transport Minister. Here, she brought in three lasting road safety reforms - the breathalyser, the 70mph speed limit and the fitting of seat belts in all new cars. Surprisingly perhaps as a non-driver herself, these became her major political achievements.

Barbara Castle was a trailblazer (Image: Submitted)

Later as Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, she fought a doomed battle for trade union reform with her 1969 White Paper In Place of Strife. Her tormentor forcing major concessions was Bradfordian TUC General Secretary Vic Feather, three years older, whom she remembered from her early student days.

In Wilson’s 1974-1976 Government she was brought back as Health Minister, but became mired in an ideological battle over NHS pay beds. The incoming James Callaghan sacked her in 1976 and her effective political career ended. She continued in the House of Lords as Baroness Castle of Blackburn.

Castle did earn recognition in the city where she was educated. First, in 1966 when her stock was high, she was one of two prominent Bradford-educated national figures to receive the University of Bradford’s first honorary degrees from Prime Minister Harold Wilson, the first Chancellor of Bradford’s new university.

Next, over 30 years later the 86-year-old Barbara Castle did finally break a notable glass ceiling, being the first woman out of 25 ‘freemen’ of the city of Bradford awarded up to that time. Given her fiery personality and a life dominating left-wing politics, devoted to taking men on equal terms, this was appropriate recognition.

Every Day Bradford by Martin Greenwood (Image: Submitted)

* Martin Greenwood’s book Every Day Bradford provides a story for each day of the year about people, places and events from Bradford’s history. It is available online and from bookshops including Waterstones and Salts Mill.