8 February 1998(1998-02-08) (aged 85) London, England
Resting place
Warwick Cemetery, Warwick, England
Political party
Conservative (1947–1974)
Ulster Unionist (1974–1987)
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Pamela Wilson
(m. 1952)
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2
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Trinity College, Cambridge
School of Oriental Studies
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British Army
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1939–1945
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Brigadier
Unit
Royal Warwickshire Regiment
General Service Corps
Intelligence Corps
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Second World War
North African campaign
India
Awards
Member of the Order of the British Empire (1943)
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John Enoch PowellMBE (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister of Health (1960–1963) then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP (1974–1987). Before entering politics, Powell was a classical scholar. During the Second World War, he served in both staff and intelligence positions, reaching the rank of brigadier. He also wrote poetry, and many books on classical and political subjects.
Powell attracted widespread attention for his "Rivers of Blood" speech, delivered on 20 April 1968 to the General Meeting of the West Midlands Area Conservative Political Centre. In it, Powell criticised the rates of immigration into the UK, especially from the New Commonwealth, and opposed the anti-discrimination legislation Race Relations Bill. The speech drew sharp criticism from some of Powell's own party members[1] and The Times,[2] with Conservative Party leader Edward Heath dismissing Powell a day after the speech from his position as Shadow Defence Secretary.
In the aftermath of the speech, several polls suggested that 67 to 82 per cent of the UK population agreed with Powell's opinions.[3][4][5] His supporters claimed that the large public following[6][7] that Powell attracted helped the Conservatives to win the 1970 general election,[8] and perhaps cost them the February 1974 general election,[9] when Powell turned his back on the Conservatives by endorsing a vote for Labour, which returned as a minority government. Powell was returned to the House of Commons in October 1974 as the Ulster Unionist Party MP for the Northern Ireland constituency of South Down. He represented the constituency until he was defeated at the 1987 general election.
^Heffer 1998, p. 461
^Editorial comment, The Times, 22 April 1968.
^Shepherd 1994, p. 352.
^Schwarz, Bill (2011), The White Man's World, OUP Oxford, p. 48, ISBN 9780199296910, So far as these can tell us anything, the opinion polls following the speech provide an indication of the scale of popular support. Gallup recorded 74 per cent, ORC 82 per cent, NOP 67 per cent, and the Express 79 per cent in favour of what Powell had proposed in Birmingham.
^Garvey, Bruce (4 June 2008). "Part 2: Enoch Powell and the 'Rivers of Blood' speech". The Ottawa Citizen. Canada.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
^Dumbrell, John (2001), A Special Relationship, Macmillan, pp. 34–35, ISBN 9780333622490, A Feb 1969 Gallup poll showed Powell the 'most admired person' in British public opinion
^OnTarget, vol. 8, ALOR, archived from the original on 19 February 2011, retrieved 2 January 2011
John EnochPowell MBE (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974) and was Minister...
"Rivers of Blood" speech was made by British Member of Parliament (MP) EnochPowell on 20 April 1968, to a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre in...
Powellism is the name given to the political views of Conservative and Ulster Unionist politician EnochPowell. They derive from his High Tory and libertarian...
Conservative Party since at least 1964. Conservative shadow defence minister EnochPowell's "Rivers of Blood" speech in 1968 was both influential and widely regarded...
was also the campaign manager for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP EnochPowell's successful re-election campaigns in 1983 and 1986. He was the UUP candidate...
David Cameron by praising EnochPowell". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 April 2010. - "Daniel Hannan & EnochPowell: Spectacular Media Stupidity...
Labour Party (SDLP). One of the UUP losses was former Cabinet Minister EnochPowell, famous for his stance against immigration, and formerly a Conservative...
explaining "rickets is a very rare condition and has multiple causes". EnochPowell made a speech in Morecambe on 11 October 1968 on the economy, setting...
September 2023, Hall was reported to have liked tweets that praised EnochPowell and described London's Mayor Sadiq Khan as "our nipple height mayor of...
country. Listen to me, man! I think we should vote for EnochPowell. Enoch's our man. I think Enoch's right, I think we should send them all back. Stop Britain...
visit to his school by Keith Joseph. Farage spoke of his admiration for EnochPowell, once calling him his political hero. In 1981, an English teacher who...
Radio Enoch was a pirate radio station in the United Kingdom, operating out of the West Midlands, homeland of its namesake, EnochPowell. Radio Enoch professed...
Macmillan delivered a stirring thirty-five minute speech described by EnochPowell as "one of the most horrible things that I remember in politics ... (Macmillan)...
September 2023, Hall was reported to have liked a tweet that praised EnochPowell (who gained fame for his Rivers of Blood speech) and liked tweets that...
Wilcox's theatre credits include Chris Hannan's play What Shadows about EnochPowell's famous "Rivers of Blood" speech on immigration. This was performed at...
defeated at the election included Gordon Campbell, Bernadette McAliskey, EnochPowell, Richard Crossman, Tom Driberg and Patrick Gordon Walker. It was the...
Roman: The Life of EnochPowell. London: Phoenix. p. 140. ISBN 0-75380-820-X. Heffer, Simon (1999). Like the Roman: The Life of EnochPowell. London: Phoenix...
led the world to become "more hawkish". Smart resembles the politician EnochPowell. He uses indirect phrases such as "crime is on the rise" and "the neighbourhood...
following the party's defeat in the general election of 1966. In April 1968, EnochPowell made his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech, which criticised immigration...
right, then ends our conversation by predicting a race war and quoting EnochPowell." Before she left university, The Rebel Media founder Ezra Levant met...
grandfather, who had also baptised EnochPowell, as well as marrying his parents. Thirty-seven years later Budgen would succeed Powell as the Conservative member...
Douglas Schoen and Oxford University academic R. W. Johnson asserted that EnochPowell had attracted 2.5 million votes to the Conservatives, although the Conservative...
recent members have included the Conservative mavericks EnochPowell and Nicholas Budgen. Powell was a member of Edward Heath's Tory shadow cabinet from...
his old university later awarded him a PhD in History for a book on EnochPowell. Heffer worked for The Daily Telegraph until 1995. He worked as a columnist...