Arthur Cecil Allen (10 January 1887 – 8 October 1981) was a British footwear manufacturer, trade union officer and Member of Parliament.
[4] Returning to Northamptonshire, Allen resumed his previous occupation and became active in the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives which he had joined in 1908.
[3] Allen was adopted in April 1945 as the Labour Party candidate for the Bosworth division,[7] which was held by the Liberal Nationals with a 7,000 majority although the sitting member did not seek re-election.
In 1946 he visited occupied Germany and made his maiden speech when he reported back to the House of Commons that the British administration was working well but that more coal and food were needed otherwise the German population would grow unwilling to cooperate.
[6] In matters of economics, Allen strongly supported the unity of the Labour Party with the Trade Unions, speaking in 1948 of how it was essential for full employment; he also called for restraint "for the nation's sake" on the part of some politicians and journalists.
[14] In June 1950, Allen helped to defend Cripps against a Conservative motion which called for the United Kingdom to participate in negotiations on the "Schuman Plan" to organise European coal and steel production.
[17] When Hugh Gaitskell was elected as Leader of the Labour Party, he took Allen out of the Opposition Whips' office to serve as his Parliamentary Private Secretary once again.