Syd Rapson

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Sydney Norman John Rapson, known as Syd Rapson, a politician in the United Kingdom, was born on 17 April 1942 in the Isle of Wight and moved to the Paulsgrove area of Portsmouth as a young child^[1]. After leaving school he worked in the aeronautical industry for nearly forty years until becoming Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth North from 1997 until he stood down at the 2005 general election. A former long serving councillor ^[2], he was succeeded by Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP.

He had stronger trade union credentials than many of the 1997 intake, having spent many years as an Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union activist and convenor. In Portsmouth, previously a Conservative Party stronghold, Rapson, a man from an "old school" tradition, disproved the claim of the Lib-Dem and Conservative parties that Labour was unelectable in the south of England. During his time in Parliament, the Labour party enjoyed healthy majorities in the three major economic hubs of the south coast of England: Portsmouth, Southampton and Brighton.

His union links came from his career as an aircraft fitter, which also gave him the strong interest in defence which has been the hallmark of his parliamentary career.

He joined the Commons Defence Select Committee after the 2001 election. He generally had a very low profile around Parliament; he rarely contributed to debates and sat for four years on the low-key Accommodation and Works Committee.

[edit] Notes

^ He attended Paulsgrove Modern (now King Richard School): Garlick,M: Memories of Wymering and Paulsgrove(1998, Hampshire WEA) HAM 30108
^ Deputy Leader of the Council and Lord Mayor of the City: Voices from Paulsgrove: Lee,S & Stedman, J (Ed) (1992,Portsmouth City Council Leisure Department) ISBN 187041215X