Ken Weetch

Kenneth Thomas Weetch (17 September 1933 – 5 February 2026) was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1974 to 1987.

Early life and teaching career Weetch was born in Abercarn, Wales, on 17 September 1933, the son of a coal miner. His family were poor, and he grew up in a wooden shack with no running water. Having passed his 11-plus, he was educated at Newbridge Grammar School in nearby Caerphilly and later at the London School of Economics and Institute of Education, where he qualified as a teacher. He held various teaching posts, eventually becoming head of the history department at Hockerill College of Education in Bishop's Stortford, from where he went on to become a Member of Parliament. Again bucking the trend, at the 1987 general election he surprisingly lost his seat to the Conservative candidate Michael Irvine.

Weetch identified strongly with the right wing of the Labour Party, and shortly after being elected in 1974 he joined The Manifesto Group.

Weetch died on 5 February 2026, at the age of 92.