A former shop worker and manager, he was sponsored by his trade union,
USDAW, and entered Parliament at the
1979 election, after becoming chairman of the
Welsh Labour Party in 1977; he was an opponent of Welsh devolution. He was an opposition
whip from 1983 to 1995, when he retired to the backbenches. He was
knighted in 1996. He was opposed to
Sunday trading and was active in Parliament to block legislation to allow it. ==Personal life and death==