Bill Yates, the 1950s and 1960s Wrekin MP, clearly found a way to rope in his family to keep his name in the public eye. Here he is in September 1964 with wife Camilla and their children, from left, Mark, aged three, four-year-old Peter, and Tom, who was six. It won't have been a coincidence that a general election was coming up. The poll was on October 15 and Bill held the seat for the Conservatives. The picture was probably taken in Stirchley, where he lived.placeholder image
Bill Yates, the 1950s and 1960s Wrekin MP, clearly found a way to rope in his family to keep his name in the public eye. Here he is in September 1964 with wife Camilla and their children, from left, Mark, aged three, four-year-old Peter, and Tom, who was six. It won't have been a coincidence that a general election was coming up. The poll was on October 15 and Bill held the seat for the Conservatives. The picture was probably taken in Stirchley, where he lived. | Shropshire Star archive

23 pictures of the politicians who shaped Shropshire's past

By Toby Neal
Published 10th Nov 2026, 02:00 GMT

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Cheers and jeers, glorious triumphs and heartbreaking losses - a pictorial journey into Shropshire’s political past

They get brickbats and they get backslaps, but generally more of the former than the latter.

We're talking about politicians, those people who put themselves forward to serve voters and stand up for what they believe.

For a long time the political landscape in Shropshire was straightforward - Tory MPs in all parts, with the exception of The Wrekin, which swung this way and that. In the modern era that pattern has been broken, and it's all to play for.

Over the years there have been big personalities, controversial personalities, and Shropshire MPs with notable long service.

Join us in remembering some of those who lit up the political stage in past times.

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Pop band Fluff at Minsterley village hall in about 1970. In the suit is Shrewsbury MP Sir John Langford-Holt, often simply called Sir John Holt, who was first elected as Shrewsbury MP in 1945. In applying to the local Conservative association he made clear he did not want ministerial office and would not accept it if offered. This did not prove an obstacle to him being chosen and he would serve as Shrewsbury MP for 38 years.

17. Guess which one isn't really in this pop band

Pop band Fluff at Minsterley village hall in about 1970. In the suit is Shrewsbury MP Sir John Langford-Holt, often simply called Sir John Holt, who was first elected as Shrewsbury MP in 1945. In applying to the local Conservative association he made clear he did not want ministerial office and would not accept it if offered. This did not prove an obstacle to him being chosen and he would serve as Shrewsbury MP for 38 years. | Shrewsbury Chronicle

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Jasper More acknowledges the cheers after holding the Ludlow seat at the February 1974 general election. A Conservative, he had first been elected to the seat in a by election in 1960 and served until 1979, when he was knighted in the Queen's birthday honours list.

18. More of the same at Ludlow

Jasper More acknowledges the cheers after holding the Ludlow seat at the February 1974 general election. A Conservative, he had first been elected to the seat in a by election in 1960 and served until 1979, when he was knighted in the Queen's birthday honours list. | Shropshire Star

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The Ludlow constituency was a target for the Liberals, and here party leader David Steel goes on a walkabout in the town in April 1979. He had arrived in a bright orange battle bus and for 20 minutes offered handshakes and autographs as he spread the Liberal word near Ludlow Castle. With him, with glasses, is Liberal candidate Eric Robinson. In the general election a few weeks later the Tories won with a majority of over 13,000.

19. Ludlow's day of Steel

The Ludlow constituency was a target for the Liberals, and here party leader David Steel goes on a walkabout in the town in April 1979. He had arrived in a bright orange battle bus and for 20 minutes offered handshakes and autographs as he spread the Liberal word near Ludlow Castle. With him, with glasses, is Liberal candidate Eric Robinson. In the general election a few weeks later the Tories won with a majority of over 13,000. | Shropshire Star archive

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Margaret Thatcher, the Minister of Education, meets a delegation from the local Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations at the Wrekin Conservative headquarters in Wellington in October 1970. From left, Mrs Thatcher, Flight Lieutenant A H Donaldson, Wrekin MP Dr Tony Trafford, Mrs Beryl Mason, and Mr R L Martin. The delegation raised concerns about various education-related issues. Before the decade was out Mrs Thatcher would become Britain's first woman Prime Minister.

20. The Iron Lady before she was fully forged

Margaret Thatcher, the Minister of Education, meets a delegation from the local Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations at the Wrekin Conservative headquarters in Wellington in October 1970. From left, Mrs Thatcher, Flight Lieutenant A H Donaldson, Wrekin MP Dr Tony Trafford, Mrs Beryl Mason, and Mr R L Martin. The delegation raised concerns about various education-related issues. Before the decade was out Mrs Thatcher would become Britain's first woman Prime Minister. | Shropshire Star

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