Peter Snape

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

|name = The Lord Snape

|honorific-suffix =

|image = Official portrait of Lord Snape crop 2, 2023.jpg

|caption = Official portrait, 2023

|office = Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

|term_start = 9 June 2004
Life Peerage

|term_end =

|office1 = Member of Parliament
for West Bromwich East

|parliament1 =

|majority1 =

|term_start1 = 28 February 1974

|term_end1 = 14 May 2001

|predecessor1 = Constituency established

|successor1 = Tom Watson

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|nationality = British

|party = Labour

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Peter Charles Snape, Baron Snape (born 12 February 1942) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich East from February 1974 until he stood down in the 2001 election. He is the former chairman of his hometown football club, Stockport County, as well as being a major shareholder in the club at the time. Lord Snape became Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Speedway Racing in July 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/motorcycle-speedway.htm|title=Register of All-Party Groups:Motorcycle Speedway|work=Parliament.uk|date=30 July 2015|accessdate=26 March 2017}}

Career

He once lived at Greenwood Gardens, Bredbury and was a railwayman and Bredbury and Romiley Urban District councillor representing Bredbury South ward. He was elected as Labour Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East in 1974, after which he moved to live in Buglawton. He retained links with the Bredbury area, serving for a time as a director of Stockport County Football Club, which he is now once again as of 2010. He held a number of government posts.

He was the member who formally proposed Michael Martin to be the new Speaker in 2000. He stood down in the 2001 election and was created a life peer as Baron Snape, of Wednesbury in the County of West Midlands on 9 June 2004.{{London Gazette |issue=57325 |date=15 June 2004 |page=7433}}

Orange juice incident

During the 1992 General Election campaign, Conservative MP Edwina Currie poured a glass of orange juice over Snape shortly after an edition of the Midlands-based debate show Central Weekend had finished airing.{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/29/world/tories-say-party-s-strategy-is-hurting-campaign.html|title= Tories Say Party's Strategy Is Hurting Campaign|newspaper= The New York Times|first= Craig R.|last= Whitney|date= 29 March 1992|accessdate= 3 June 2009}} Speaking about the incident later, Currie said, "I just looked at my orange juice, and looked at this man from which this stream of abuse was emanating, and thought 'I know how to shut you up.'"

Controversy

In late January 2009 The Sunday Times alleged that Lord Snape was one of four Labour Lords who had agreed to support legislative changes that were favourable to large businesses in exchange for cash. Two of its reporters, posing as lobbyists for a foreign company looking to set up a chain of shops in the UK, approached a range of peers to see if they could be bribed to help the company to obtain an exemption from the Business Rates Supplements Bill. The paper stated Snape agreed to do so in exchange for a fee of £24,000.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110429083208/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5581570.ece 'Whispered over tea and cake: price for a peer to fix the law'], Sunday Times, 25 January 2009

The House of Lords Sub-committee on Lords' Interests was asked to report on the matter.[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldselect/ldprivi/88/8805.htm Lords Sub-Committee on Lords Interests Report] Although the sub-committee found that Lord Snape "expressed a clear willingness to breach the Code of Conduct",[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldselect/ldprivi/88/8802.htm The Conduct of Lord Moonie, Lord Snape, Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor of Blackburn] Lords' Committee on Privileges the Privileges Committee considered the matter and took further evidence, concluding that he did not "express clear willingness to [act] in return for financial inducement,".{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldselect/ldprivi/88/8803.htm#a66|title=LORD SNAPE'S APPEAL (para44)|publisher=publications.parliament.uk|date=14 May 2009|accessdate=12 June 2010}}

They found no reason to doubt Snape's "assertion that his intention to consult the Registrar before taking any steps was genuine, the meeting with the journalists was on Thursday, and they telephoned him within 24 hours to reveal the sting."

However, they felt his conversation with the journalists "demonstrated an inappropriate attitude to the rules governing the conduct of Members" and they therefore invited him to make a personal statement of apology to the House.

The Sunday Times agreed to publish the findings of the Privileges Committee and agreed to pay a 'substantial sum' towards Lord Snape's legal costs.

Arms

{{Infobox COA wide

|image =

|image size =

|notes =

|year_adopted = 2006

|coronet = Coronet of a Baron

|escutcheon = Azure within each of two pairs of Endorses Argent a Lozenge throughout all between three Lozenges throughout in fess Or.{{cite book|title=Debrett's Peerage |date=2019 |page=4405}}

|crest = A Demi Unicorn Azure armed winged and unguled Or supporting with both feet a Grenade Azure fired Or

|supporters = On either side a Snipe reguardant Azure beaked and legged Or

|badge = Two Snipe's Heads addorsed their necks in saltire and conjoined in base Azure beaked Or

|motto = LABOR NON NEQUIQUAM
Latin: "NOT WORKING IN VAIN"

|symbolism = Baron Snape has a long association with Stockport whose Arms feature three gold lozenges on a blue field. The endorses suggest railway lines with the smaller lozenges being a vehicle thereon. The snipe are clearly a punning allusion on the grantee's name.

}}