1598 Percy Illingworth

Constituency : Shipley  1906-15

Percy  won  Shipley, previously  held  by  the  Liberal   Unionist  James  Flannery who  decided  not  to  stand. Percy  was  therefore  unopposed.

Percy  was  from  a  well  known  firm  of  Bradford  spinners .Percy  was  the  grandson  of  the  former  Yorkshire  MP  Isaac  Holden. He  was  educated  at  Cambridge  and  became  a  barrister. He  served  in  the  Boer  War.He  stood  in  1900  and  lost  by  just  61  votes. He  was  a  Baptist.

Percy's  maiden  speech  was  in  support  of  disestablishing  the  church. He  spoke  against  the  idea  of  conscription  in  1913. He  was enthused  by  the  land  campaign  in  1913.

Percy  was  Parliamentary  Private  Secretary  to  the  Irish  Secretary  from  1906  to  1910. In  1910  he  was  made  a  whip In  1912  he  was  promoted  to  Chief  Whip.He  was  a  trustee  of  the  fund  created  by  the  party's  investment  in  Marconi. He  was  a  popular  MP  liked  on  both  sides  of  the  house

In  1915  he died  suddenly  from  food  poisoning  from  a  bad  oyster. He  was  45. Lloyd  George  later  said  he  could  have  prevented  the  rift  with  Asquith  if  he'd  still  been  around.