Michael Francis Lovell Cocks, Baron Cocks of Hartcliffe, PC (19 August 1929 – 26 March 2001) was a British Labour Party politician. He was the member of parliament for Bristol South from 1970 to 1987, and was the Labour Party's chief whip from 1976 to 1985.

Early life

Cocks was born in Leeds, and was educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh, and Silcoates School, Wakefield. After obtaining a BSc at Bristol University he became a geography teacher and later lectured at Bristol Polytechnic.{{Cite news |author= Roth, Andrew |author-link= Andrew Roth |date=27 March 2001 |title= Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/mar/27/guardianobituaries |access-date=31 May 2020}}

Political career

Cocks contested Bristol West in 1959 and South Gloucestershire in 1964 and 1966. He was Member of Parliament for Bristol South from 1970 until 1987, after being deselected as a candidate in 1986 and replaced by Dawn Primarolo, in a challenge from the left.

During his time in the House of Commons, Cocks served as a Labour whip in government and in opposition, being Chief Whip from 1976 to 1985.

Cocks was created a life peer on 6 October 1987, becoming Baron Cocks of Hartcliffe, of Chinnor in the County of Oxfordshire{{London Gazette |issue=51084 |date=9 October 1987 |page=12540}} and served as vice-chairman of the BBC 1993–98.{{cite ODNB|last = Harrison|first = Walter|title = Cocks, Michael Francis Lovell, Baron Cocks of Hartcliffe (1929–2001), politician|date = 2005|doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/75686}}

He also served as Deputy Chairman of the London Docklands Development Corporation. As Government Chief Whip from 1976 to 1979 he had the task of ensuring Government majorities for a minority government.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KFMMAAAAYAAJ&q=Michael+Cocks+labour+moderate|title=Who's Left?: An Index of Labour MPs & Left-Wing Causes, 1985–1992|date=1 January 1992|publisher=Conservative & Unionist Central Office|isbn=9780850710359|access-date=7 January 2019|via=Google Books}}

Personal life and legacy

Cocks married Janet Macfarlane, a nurse, in 1954. The couple had four children, Andrew, Helen, Sarah and David, before separating in 1976 and divorcing the following year.{{Cite news |author=Anne King |date=22 April 2021 |title=Janet Cocks obituary |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/22/janet-cocks-obituary |access-date=18 August 2021}} He was married to Valerie Davis from 1979 until his death from a heart attack at Southmead Hospital in Bristol on 26 March 2001, at the age of 71.{{cite news|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/1243749.stm|title = Former chief whip dies|work = BBC News|date = 26 March 2001|accessdate = 3 July 2022}}

Cocks is a major character in the play This House by James Graham. The play was first staged at the National Theatre in 2011, with Cocks played by Vincent Franklin.

References

Sources

The Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Ltd, 1966, 1983 & 1987
{{Rayment-hc|date=March 2012}}
[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/mar/27/guardianobituaries "Obituary: Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe"], The Guardian, 27 March 2001