Our peers from transport
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THE CONSERVATIVE Transport Minister who resisted lorry weights increases in the Seventies and a former Labour junior Minister are among the new peers created in the dissolution honours list announced last week.
John Peyton, who was Transport Minister in the Heath Government from 1970-74 and who did not seek re-election as MP for Yeovil in last month's general election, is made a life peer. He was instrumental in resisting EEC pressure for weights increase in the Seventies and remained opposed when the Government proposed the eventual 38-tonne limit in 1981.
The Labour transport peer is Neil Carmichael, who was a Junior Transport Minister from 1966-69 and in 1974/75. His Glasgow Kelvingrove seat disappeared at the last election and he lost narrowly to former SDP leader Roy Jenkins on June 9. Mr Carmichael was an active member of the House of Commons transport select committee in the last Parliament, and attempted to bring forward seat belt legislation in the Seventies in a private member's Bill.
Former Shadow Transport Secretary Albert Booth, who lost his Barrow seat last month, declined an offer of a peerage and hopes to win a Labour seat at a by-election.