Wilfrid Andrew Burke (23 November 1889 – 18 July 1968) was a British Trade union organiser and politician who achieved high office in the Labour Party and served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Burnley for 24 years.
[1] At the 1924 general election, Burke was the Labour candidate for Manchester Blackley; the seat was held by Philip Oliver for the Liberal Party.
[11] In November 1936, referring to a speech by Sir Arnold Wilson praising Germany, Burke expressed his disappointment and dismay at "growing appreciation of the totalitarian state" by Conservative MPs.
[15] Burke played an active part in a joint committee of Cotton Trade organisations which was set up in advance of legislation to reorganise the industry in the late 1930s.
[17] Burke was appointed as a Whip for the Labour Party in 1941;[2] however he voted against the Government's proposal to delay the implementation of the Beveridge Report in February 1943,[18] and was replaced in October of that year.
[19] At the Labour Party conference in June 1943 Burke moved a resolution on behalf of his union, calling for an adequate rate of the old age pension.
The department expanded in spring 1946 when the Ministry of Information was abolished,[28] and Burke announced the commencement of BBC radio broadcasts in Russian.
In December 1948 he opposed the Licensing Bill, along with two other Labour MPs;[34] and he supported a Liberal Party motion for a Royal Commission into war pensions in April 1949.
[38] Burke was said to have hit back vigorously at the anonymous author of the pamphlet for disclosing confidential information and for misunderstanding the position of Trade Union members of the National Executive.
[41] Playing a decreasing role in Parliament, Burke became chairman of the Labour Party National Executive sub-committee on Commonwealth and Imperial affairs in November 1952.
[43] Burke gave a Party Political Broadcast at the end of January 1954 calling for large firms to plough profits back into the company and get away from the "'grab all you can' atmosphere".
[45] Burke also had twice to inquire into the affairs of the Liverpool Exchange Constituency Labour Party, which was feuding with its forceful Member of Parliament Bessie Braddock.