"Driberg" redirects here. For the British anthropologist, see Jack Herbert Driberg.
The Right Honourable
The Lord Bradwell
Driberg in 1941
Chairman of the Labour Party
In office 1957–1958
Leader
Hugh Gaitskell
Preceded by
Margaret Herbison
Succeeded by
Barbara Castle
Member of Parliament for Maldon
In office 25 June 1942 – 6 May 1955
Preceded by
Sir Edward Ruggles-Brise
Succeeded by
Alastair Harrison
Member of Parliament for Barking
In office 8 October 1959 – 8 February 1974
Preceded by
Somerville Hastings
Succeeded by
Jo Richardson
Personal details
Born
Thomas Edward Neil Driberg
(1905-05-22)22 May 1905 Crowborough, Sussex, England
Died
12 August 1976(1976-08-12) (aged 71) Paddington, London, England
Resting place
Bradwell Cemetery, Bradwell-on-Sea
Political party
Labour
Other political affiliations
Communist Party of Great Britain
Spouse
Ena Mary Driberg
(m. 1951)
Residence(s)
Bradwell Lodge, Bradwell-on-Sea, England
Occupation
Journalist, politician
Thomas Edward Neil Driberg, Baron Bradwell (22 May 1905 – 12 August 1976) was a British journalist, politician, High Anglican churchman and possible Soviet spy, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1942 to 1955, and again from 1959 to 1974. A member of the Communist Party of Great Britain for more than twenty years, he was first elected to parliament as an Independent and joined the Labour Party in 1945. He never held any ministerial office, but rose to senior positions within the Labour Party and was a popular and influential figure in left-wing politics for many years.
The son of a retired colonial officer, Driberg was educated at Lancing and Christ Church, Oxford. After leaving the university without a degree, he attempted to establish himself as a poet before joining the Daily Express as a reporter, later becoming a columnist. In 1933 he began the "William Hickey" society column, which he continued to write until 1943. He was later a regular columnist for the Co-operative Group newspaper Reynold's News and for other left-leaning journals. He wrote several books, including biographies of the press baron Lord Beaverbrook and the Soviet spy Guy Burgess. He retired from the House of Commons in 1974, and was subsequently raised to the peerage as Baron Bradwell, of Bradwell juxta Mare in the County of Essex.
Driberg made no secret of his homosexuality, which he practised throughout his life despite its being a criminal offence in Britain until 1967; his ability to avoid any consequences for his risky and often brazen behaviour baffled his friends and colleagues. Always in search of bizarre experiences, Driberg befriended at various times the occultist Aleister Crowley and the Kray twins, along with honoured and respected figures in the worlds of literature and politics. He combined this lifestyle with an unwavering devotion to Anglo-Catholicism. Following his death, allegations were published about his role over many years as an MI5 informant, a KGB agent, or both. The extent and nature of Driberg's involvement with these agencies remain uncertain.
Thomas Edward Neil Driberg, Baron Bradwell (22 May 1905 – 12 August 1976) was a British journalist, politician, High Anglican churchman and possible Soviet...
to their "folk hero" image being eclipsed by a "folk villain" image. TomDriberg, a Labour MP and gossip columnist for the Daily Express, was well-acquainted...
ISBN 978-0-00-824556-6. Driberg, Tom (1956). Guy Burgess: A Portrait with Background. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. OCLC 1903821. Driberg, Tom (1977). Ruling...
Gordon Campbell, Bernadette McAliskey, Enoch Powell, Richard Crossman, TomDriberg and Patrick Gordon Walker. It was the first of two United Kingdom general...
60302; col A. p. 14. The extreme homosexual promiscuity of the late TomDriberg, as revealed in his posthumous autobiography, must have surprised all...
Acland David Astor Thomas Balogh Vernon Bartlett Violet Bonham Carter TomDriberg Michael Foot Raymond Gauntlett, Secretary Victor Gollancz Eva Hubback...
urbanised in the 18th century. Its name was coined in the late 1930s by TomDriberg. It is characterised by its mixed-use of residential, business, retail...
1899 Percontation point in Unicode Hervé Bazin 1966 CPNB proposal 2007 TomDriberg recommended that ironic statements should be printed in italics that...
was enthusiastically covered by journalists such as Charles Graves and TomDriberg. They inspired a number of writers, including Nancy Mitford (Highland...
which Waugh felt bound to object publicly. His friend, the journalist TomDriberg agreed to place a notice in his "William Hickey" column in the Daily...
charity. Her godparents were composer Constant Lambert, Labour peer TomDriberg and Daria Hambourg (daughter of the pianist Mark Hambourg). Sylvestre...
Bollinger Club's destructive rampage through his college and is sent down. TomDriberg claimed that the description of the Bollinger Club was a "mild account...
when, in 1941 Anthony Blunt informed Harry Pollitt that TomDriberg was an informer, and Driberg was expelled from the Communist Party, Knight developed...
gossip, sex". The Washington Times. Wheen, Francis (25 October 1990). TomDriberg: His Life and Indiscretions. Chatto & Windus. ISBN 9780701131432 – via...
Wilderness, a designated wilderness area in the state of Oklahoma, US TomDriberg, Baron Bradwell (1905-1976), British journalist and politician Chris...
United Kingdom (1945–present) Tony Benn Barbara Castle Richard Crossman TomDriberg Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge Ian Mikardo George Thomas, 1st...
Neoclassical extension. In the 20th century, the lodge was the home of TomDriberg. Bradwell remains a private residence. It is a Grade II* listed building...
Theatre (NT) Skylight Tom Sergeant Cottesloe Theatre (NT) 1996 Wyndham's Theatre Royale Theatre, New York City 1997 Tom and Clem TomDriberg Aldwych Theatre...
Labour's National Executive Committee (the "NEC"): Bevan, Barbara Castle, TomDriberg, Ian Mikardo and Harold Wilson took the top five places with Crossman...
attacks. Interviewees include Rab Butler, Lord Shinwell, Lord Chandos, TomDriberg, Lord Avon, Michael Foot, Cecil Harmsworth King and J. B. Priestley....
In 1997, under Tony Blair's new party leadership, the General Secretary Tom Sawyer enacted the Partnership in Power reforms. This rebalanced the NEC's...
(d. 1956) May 20 – Gerrit Achterberg, Dutch poet (d. 1962) May 22 – TomDriberg, British politician/journalist (d. 1976) May 23 – Sophie Schulz, Austrian...
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