Nigel Spearing

Nigel John Spearing was born in Hammersmith, London. His father had been a Liberal parliamentary candidate. He was educated at Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He served with the Royal Corps of Signals during his national service. After graduating from Cambridge in 1956, he worked as a tutor and teacher, firstly at Wandsworth School (1956–68) and then at Elliott School, Putney (1969–70). ==Career==

After coming second in Warwick and Leamington in 1964, Spearing was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Acton at the 1970 general election, regaining a seat which the Labour Party had lost to the Conservative Kenneth Baker in a 1968 by-election. Prior to the February 1974 general election, the Acton constituency underwent major boundary changes and he was defeated in his bid for re-election by the Conservative Party candidate George Young by 1,451 votes. Spearing then returned to parliament a few weeks later after winning the Newham South by-election (caused by the constituency's MP, Elwyn Jones, being made a life peer in order to take on the role of Lord Chancellor) with a majority of 9,321. Although he was interested in many issues, including transport, he devoted much of his time to campaigning against the EEC/EU, not least because he believed that 'many of the most pressing domestic political issues of the day could also be firmly connected with European Union institutions and directives.' ==Personal life and death==

In 1956, Spearing married Wendy Newman, and they had three children. ==References==

• Nigel Spearing deposited a set of his personal papers relating to education and government to the Institute of Education at the University of London in March 2006. Archives of the Institute of Education (archive reference: GBR/0366/NS) • The Papers of Nigel Spearing held at Churchill Archives Centre