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The Kinnocks And 9 Other British Political Dynasties

A Lot Of MPs Are Part Of A Political Dynasty
The Huffington Post UK

A recent YouGov poll showed that voters were not to keen on the idea of politicians' children following in their footsteps.

Yet, for some, British party politics remains a family business. On Saturday, Stephen Kinnock, the son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, was selected to fight a safe Labour seat at the next general election. Conservatives have criticised the phenomenon of Labour's "red princes" - but political dynasties are neither new, nor confined to the Labour Party.

The House of Commons library has produced a rather nifty list of parliament's current dynasties, some more obscure than others.

Here are 10 politicians who have followed, or plan to follow, their family members into parliament.

Political Families
Neil Kinnock and Stephen Kinnock(01 of10)
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Stephen Kinnock has been selected to fight the Welsh seat of Aberavon in 2015. Labour has held the constituency continuously since the 1920s, so Stephen should be heading to parliament just like his dad before him. Stephen also has an international political connection. He is married to Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
Jack Straw and Will Straw(02 of10)
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Will Straw, the associate director of the thinktank IPPR, is another "red prince". He was selected to fight the Rossendale and Darwen for Labour in 2015. His connection? He is the son of former Labour cabinet minister Jack Straw. Jack has announced he is leaving parliament at the next election. But Will has a good chance of taking his place as the Tory majority in Rossendale and Darwen is a not super-safe 4,493.
Tony Benn and Hilary Benn(03 of10)
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The current shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn is the the son of left-wing legend Tony Benn - who recently passed away. When Hilary was elected in 1999 he remarked he was "a Benn, but not a Bennite".
Sir Angus Maude and Francis Maude(04 of10)
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It is, of course, not just Labour that keeps it in the family. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude is the son of Sir Angus Maude - who was Margaret Thatcher's paymaster general.
Mohammad Sawar and Anas Sawar(05 of10)
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Glasgow Central MP Anas Sarwar essentially inherited the seat from his father Mohammad. After leaving the Commons in 2010, Mohammad left Britain to become governor of Punjab in Pakistan.
Sir William Mount and David Cameron(06 of10)
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Some family connections go back further. David Cameron is the great-grandson of Sir William Mount - who was MP for Newbury in the early 1900s. The prime minister is also of course a 5th cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lisa Nandy and Frank Byers(07 of10)
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Family ties can also cross the political divide. Wigan's Labour MP Lisa Nandy is the granddaughter of Liberal Frank Byers - the MP for North Dorset from 1945-50.
Jo Johnson and Boris Johnson(08 of10)
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Orpington MP Jo Johnson was elected to parliament in 2010. His brother was an MP from 2001-2008, but stood down to be mayor of London. Of course Boris is widely expected to rejoin his brother on the green benches in 2015.
Winston Churchill and Nicholas Soames(09 of10)
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Nicholas Soames, the Tory MP for Mid-Sussex, has more family connections than most. His grandfather was legendary wartime prime minister Winston Churchill. His cousin, another Winston Churchill was an MP for Stretford and Davyhulme for almost thirty years. His uncle, Randolph Churchill, was an MP in the late 1940s and his great-grandfather, Lord Randolph Churchill was an MP in the late 1800s.
David Miliband and Ed Miliband(10 of10)
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And no list of political families would be complete without Ed and David Miliband. Ed is now leader of the Labour Party. David now lives over 3,000 miles away.
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