Hugh Brown

Published on Thursday 13 March 2008 20:13

Glasgow MP and councillor

Born: 18 May, 1919, in Glasgow. Died: 10 March, 2008, in Glasgow, aged 88.

HUGH Brown was a Westminster MP who specialised in Scottish affairs – his record for asking questions of successive Scottish secretaries is legendary – and he showed similar commitment when he was appointed under- secretary at the Scottish Office in Harold Wilson's government. Brown had a parliamentary manner that endeared him to all sides of the House. His work as MP for Glasgow Provan for more than 20 years showed his determination to serve all his constituents. In Glasgow he is particularly remembered for co-founding the Easterhouse project in 1974: its success is a lasting testament to Brown's concern for the young and disadvantaged of the city.

Hugh Dunbar Brown was the son of a Clydeside engineer and attended Allan Glen's School and Whitehill Secondary School. Both his parents were ardent supporters of the Independent Labour Party and that upbringing flamed Brown's political interests.

After leaving school at 14, he worked as a messenger in the post office before joining the civil service. He was soon promoted to the rank of manager at the National Insurance Office, where he specialised in welfare matters.

He became active in politics in 1954, when he won Provan ward for the Glasgow Council and regularly displayed an independent spirit. Brown was an active convener of the museums and galleries committee and refrained from supporting a resolution to offer Prince Philip the freedom of the city

In 1962 he was adopted as Labour's prospective candidate for Provan but had to relinquish his post in the civil service. Two years later he won the seat with a healthy majority and was to remain as the constituent MP until he retired in 1987. It was a testing area to represent. Not only was Barlinnie Prison in the constituency but unemployment and crime were high.

Brown was promoted to office a year later when he served two respected Scottish secretaries: Willie Ross under Wilson, then Bruce Milan under James Callaghan.

One of his responsibilities was fisheries minister and he had to act as a broker between the UK and Iceland in what became a major diplomatic incident when the UK refused to recognise the extension of Icelandic fishing waters. The so-called "cod war" of 1972-3, when the Royal Navy patrolled the North Sea, directly affected the economy of many Scottish ports.. Meetings were protracted and delicate but Brown displayed much diplomacy and after some fraught weeks the dispute ended.

Brown, having grown up in Glasgow, was all too familiar with the gangs that caused havoc in the city – many among the large estates in his constituency. He highlighted in particular the Easterhouse area and campaigned for facilities to give the young an alternative to roaming the streets. To his aid came the singer Frankie Vaughan, who not only gave concerts at The Pavilion Theatre to raise funds but also made a large personal donation.

Brown was a major inspiration and a trustee of the project, which was located in a pair of "rugged, corrugated metal halls" built by the army many years previously on the Westerhouse Road. Brown was credited with extensive work in sorting out what he tactfully called "misunderstandings on both sides" so the council could support the project. The council also greatly increased its financial grant.

The success of the Easterhouse project was instant and created an atmosphere of trust and a real community spirit. An early report talks of how a local constable organised trips to the Highlands ("for seniors and toddlers from the kindergartens") in a bus provided by the Prince Charles Trust.

The constable also organised "hours of energy-burning sports like soccer and weight-lifting". There was also a disco, which became a focal point for teenagers.

To Brown's great pleasure, Easterhouse became noticed worldwide and sociologists arrived to write about it. In 1996, on a state visit to the UK, French president Jacques Chirac, accompanied by Prince Charles, visited Easterhouse.

Brown chaired the influential social services group of the Parliamentary Labour Party and from 1973-4 was chairman of the Scottish Labour MPs.

Yet he remained a maverick to the end. He accused then prime minister Margaret Thatcher of "arrogance" in her conduct over the introduction of legislation for the poll tax and was firmly opposed to the Falklands War, believing negotiations with the Argentines should have been continued.

On his retirement from the Commons, Brown furthered his love of jazz and spent much time on the golf course at Milngavie. He married Mary Carmichael in 1947: she died in 1999 and he is survived by their daughter.