Benn, Tony (Anthony Wedgwood) 1925- . British
Labour politician, formerly the leading
figure on the party's left wing. He was
minister of technology 1966-70 and of
industry 1974-75, but his campaign against
entry to the European Community led to his
transfer to the Department of Energy 1975-79.
He unsuccessfully contested Neil Kinnock for
the party leadership 1988. Son of Lord
Stansgate, a Labour peer, Benn succeeded his
father 1960, though he never used his title
and in 1963 was the first person to disclaim
a title under the Peerage Act. In 1981 he
challenged Denis Healey for the deputy
leadership of the party and was so narrowly
defeated that he established himself as the
acknowledged leader of the left. His diaries
(four volumes published to 1990) cover in
enormous detail the events of the period.