Ian Gibson (politician)
{{Short description|British politician (1938–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Ian Gibson MP.jpg
| caption = Gibson as an MP
| office = Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee
| predecessor = Michael Clark
| successor = Phil Willis
| term_start = 16 July 2001
| term_end = 11 April 2005
| parliament1 = United Kingdom
| constituency_MP1 = Norwich North
| predecessor1 = Patrick Thompson
| successor1 = Chloe Smith
| term_start1 = 1 May 1997
| term_end1 = 5 June 2009
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|09|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Dumfries, Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|04|09|1938|09|26|df=y}}
| death_place = Norfolk, England
| party = Labour
| otherparty = Socialist Workers (before 1983)
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
- {{marriage|Verity||1977}}
- {{marriage|Elizabeth Lubbock|1977}}
}}
| children = 3
| education = Dumfries Academy
| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|
| relations =
| residence =
| profession = {{hlist|Journalist|scientist|politician}}
| signature =
| website =
}}
Ian Gibson (26 September 1938 – 9 April 2021) was a British Labour politician and scientist who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich North from 1997 to 2009.
Gibson was a professor at the University of East Anglia before his election to Parliament and was considered one of the country's leading cancer experts. He chaired the Science and Technology Committee in the House of Commons from 2001 to 2005 and came into conflict with the Blair government due to his left-wing views. He resigned from the Commons in 2009 after being barred from standing as a Labour candidate in the 2010 general election due to his behaviour during the parliamentary expenses scandal.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8085910.stm |title=MP quitting to force by-election |work=BBC News |date=5 June 2009 |accessdate=5 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702052034/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8085910.stm |archivedate=2 July 2009 |url-status=live }}
Early life and academic career
Ian Gibson was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the son of William and Winifred Gibson, in September 1938. He was educated at the Dumfries Academy before attending the University of Edinburgh, where he acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and a doctorate.{{Who's Who|title=Gibson, Ian|id=U17049|access-date=15 April 2021}} Whilst at university in Scotland he also turned out for professional Scottish football sides Airdrie, St Mirren and Queen of the South.{{cite news |last=Hannant |first=David |title='A war horse for Norwich' – Tributes continue to flood in for MP Ian Gibson |url=https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/more-tributes-to-dr-ian-gibson-7887734 |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=Norwich Evening News |date=10 April 2021}} He continued his studies in the US at Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Washington.
During the 1960s, he was a keen amateur footballer and played for local side Wymondham Town as a left-back and captain of the team.{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://www.wymondhamtownfc.co.uk/about/our-history/ |publisher=Wymondham Town FC |access-date=4 May 2021 |date=13 May 2015}}
Gibson worked for the University of East Anglia from 1965 until his election to Parliament and was made an honorary professor in 2003. He worked as a research scientist until 1971, when he became a senior biology lecturer and was promoted to Dean of the School of Biological Sciences in 1991. Whilst a Dean, he headed a research team investigating cancer because of his expertise in the biology of cancer and drugs targeting leukaemia. Upon his suggestion, Norwich City goalkeeper Bryan Gunn funded the Francesca Gunn laboratory, named after the daughter he lost to leukaemia, which he ran for five years. He was awarded a Champion Award by Macmillan Cancer Support for his work. He was not known to have any political views before his employment at the university. However, he became active in the union ASTMS and fought for better pay for technical and other less senior staff.
Parliamentary career
Gibson was a member of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance union executive from 1972 to 1996 and joined the Labour Party in 1983 after seven years in the Socialist Workers Party.
He unsuccessfully contested the marginal Norwich North constituency at the 1992 general election, losing to the Conservative incumbent Patrick Thompson by 266 votes. However, following Thompson's retirement, he won the seat at the 1997 general election with a majority of over 9,000. Gibson was successfully re-elected in 2001 and 2005, albeit with a reduced majority of between 5,000 and 6,000 at both elections. He made his maiden speech on 17 June 1997.{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970617/debtext/70617-23.htm#70617-23_spnew0 |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 17 Jun 1997 (pt 23) |accessdate=1 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028141957/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970617/debtext/70617-23.htm#70617-23_spnew0 |archivedate=28 October 2016 |url-status=live }}
Joining the Science and Technology Select Committee upon his election, Gibson used his platform to push the case for science and better cancer treatment. He chaired the committee from 2001 to 2005, despite opposition from Labour whips, as well as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on cancer. Gibson raised many medical and biological issues in the House of Commons, including Gulf War syndrome, which he urged the government to recognise. He later became a member of other committees, including the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee and the East of England Regional Select Committee.
Although well-liked on all sides, Gibson was often in conflict with the Blair government and a problem for the government whips due to his left-wing views. He was a major campaigner against top-up fees for universities. He voted against parts of the government's counterterrorism legislation, leading him to clash with fellow Norwich MP Charles Clarke. He was also the coach of the cross-party parliamentary football team, and from 1999 to 2005 he was the team's joint manager.
He suffered a minor stroke in September 2004 on a visit to Ramallah in the West Bank, leading him to call for stroke support to be prioritised by health services in the same way as cancer care.{{cite web|last=Bishop|first=Donna-Louise|date=9 April 2021|title=Tributes to 'legendary' former Norwich North MP Dr Ian Gibson|url=https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/tributes-to-former-norwich-north-mp-ian-gibson-7887274|access-date=12 April 2021|website=Norwich Evening News}}
In 2006, he took part in a BBC television Inside Out programme, Clouds of Secrecy. The programme reported on the high incidence of oesophageal cancer in the Norfolk area and the possible link with secret experiments the Ministry of Defence carried out in the 1960s with poisonous chemicals. Gibson expressed the hope that further research might occur to establish whether there was a link between these tests and the high local rates of cancer of the oesophagus.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/east/series10/week9_spraying_war_extra.shtml |publisher=BBC |title=Inside Out |accessdate=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420161523/http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/east/series10/week9_spraying_war_extra.shtml |archivedate=20 April 2019 |url-status=live }} In the same year, he attracted controversy after claiming inbreeding in his constituency may have played a part in its rising number of diabetes cases, but later apologised for these remarks.{{cite news |title=MP sorry for 'inbreeding' remarks |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4781693.stm |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=BBC News |date=11 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813110905/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4781693.stm |archive-date=13 August 2006}}
Gibson announced his intention to stand in the next election in 2006, stating that he would rather "die with my boots on and go missing in action than crawl into early retirement and wear slippers and pantaloons".
= Expenses scandal =
In May 2009, Gibson became embroiled in the MPs' expenses scandal, reportedly claiming for a flat in which his daughter lived rent-free before selling it to her for half its market value.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5431329/Ian-Gibson-deselected-by-Labour---MPs-expenses.html |title=Ian Gibson deselected by Labour – MPs' expenses |last=Kirkup |first=James |date=2 June 2009 |website=The Telegraph |accessdate=2 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605160129/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5431329/Ian-Gibson-deselected-by-Labour---MPs-expenses.html |archivedate=5 June 2009 |url-status=dead }} He was barred from standing in the 2010 general election by a Labour Party disciplinary panel, which his constituency chairman called a "kangaroo court".{{cite news |title=Gibson barred from standing again |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8080154.stm |access-date=4 May 2021 |website=BBC News |date=2 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605154905/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8080154.stm |archivedate=5 June 2009 |url-status=live }}
Saying that his position was "untenable" after the panel's decision, he resigned as an MP by applying for the Chiltern Hundreds. In the subsequent 2009 Norwich North by-election, Conservative Chloe Smith won the seat over the Labour candidate, who saw the party's vote share drop by almost 27%.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8166398.stm |title=Tories' poll triumph over Labour |website=BBC News |date=24 July 2009 |accessdate=5 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902235328/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8166398.stm |archivedate=2 September 2017 |url-status=live }}
After Parliament
Following his resignation, Gibson continued campaigning on local and environmental issues in Norwich and returned to lecturing at institutions including Harvard University. He became Norwich Palestine Solidarity Campaign president in 2015.
From 2009 to 2013, he was a journalist at the Norwich Evening News.
Gibson was pleased when Jeremy Corbyn, an old friend, was elected as Labour leader; however, he was later alleged to have said that Corbyn lacked "leadership and style", after becoming disillusioned with his performance as leader.{{cite news |title=Former Norwich North MP Ian Gibson dies aged 82 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-56695263 |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=BBC News |date=10 April 2021}}
Personal life
Gibson's first wife was Verity, a social worker with whom he had two children. He is survived by his daughter, Dominique, but their other daughter, Ruth, died in 1993. In 1977, he married Liz, with whom he had another daughter.
He supported Norwich City and served as the president of his former club, Wymondham Town. Later, he also joined a Norwich theatre group. According to Who's Who, he listed his recreations as "football coaching, watching, listening and questioning".
Gibson died in Norfolk,{{cite web |title= DOR Q2/2021 in NORFOLK (642-1S) |id= Entry Number 521992372 |url=https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp#Results |website=GRO Online Indexes |publisher=General Register Office for England and Wales |url-access=registration |access-date=28 October 2022}} of pancreatic cancer, on 9 April 2021, at the age of 82.{{cite web |last=Langdon |first=Julia |author-link=Julia Langdon |title=Ian Gibson obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/25/ian-gibson-obituary |work=The Guardian |access-date=4 May 2021 |date=25 April 2021}}
Publications
- {{cite book
| last = Gibson
| first = Ian
| title = Anti-sense Technology
| year = 1997
- {{cite book
| last = Gibson
| first = Ian
| author-mask = 1
| title = Too Little Too Late?: Government Investment in Nanotechnology
| year = 2004
| publisher = Stationery Office
| location = London
| isbn = 0-215-01644-0
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Gibson
| first = Ian
| author-mask = 1
| title = Within REACH: the EU's New Chemical Strategy
| year = 2004
| publisher = Stationery Office
| location =
| isbn = 0-215-01706-4
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Gibson
| first = Ian
| author-mask = 1
| postscript = none
| title = Best When We Are Labour?
| year = 2011
}}{{sndash}}with Des Turner.
- {{cite book
| last = Gibson
| first = Ian
| author-mask = 1
| postscript = none
| title = Science, Politics ... and ME
| year = 2017
| publisher = CreateSpace
| isbn = 978-1-5431-8378-8
References
External links
- [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-1916,00.html Profile] from The Guardian{{'s}} "Ask Aristotle"
- {{UK MP links | parliament = 129 | hansardcurr = | hansard = dr-ian-gibson | publicwhip = Ian_Gibson | theywork = 10226 | record = | journalisted = }}
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-56695263 Obituary] from BBC News
- [https://www.thetimes.com/article/ian-gibson-obituary-klczwgfc8 Obituary] from The Times {{subscription required}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=Patrick Thompson}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Norwich North |years=1997–2009}}
{{s-aft|after=Chloe Smith}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Ian}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:European democratic socialists
Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Academics of the University of East Anglia
Category:People educated at Dumfries Academy
Category:Socialist Workers Party (UK) members
Category:Wymondham Town F.C. players
Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in England