Tom Horabin

Thomas Lewis Horabin (28 December 1896 – 26 April 1956) was a British Liberal Party politician who defected to the Labour Party. He sat in the House of Commons from 1939 to 1950.

Early life and career Horabin was born in Merthyr Tydfil and educated at Cardiff High School, and during the First World War he served from 1914 to 1918 with the Cameron Highlanders.

After the war he went into business, and became chairman of Lacrinoid Ltd, which made buttons and other synthetic products.

He was also a strong advocate, along with Sir Stafford Cripps, of a Popular Front of left-of-centre parties coming together to defeat the Conservative led National government. He continued to hold the seat until 1950. He later sued BOAC for damages, and after hearings in the High Court, the case was settled in November 1952 when he accepted £3,017 in damages.

In November 1947 Horabin took the Labour whip.

The North Cornwall Liberals wanted him to resign the seat and seek re-election, but he refused, saying that the principles for which he stood had been set out clearly in his address to voters at the general election.

At the 1950 election, Labour invited him to defend North Cornwall as a Labour candidate, but he refused on the grounds that he would then be campaigning against people who had previously campaigned for him.

Personal life Horabin died in Folkestone on 26 April 1956, aged 60. Having married in 1920, he left a widow, two sons and a daughter.