Preceded by Michael Irvine Role British Politician Nationality British Party Labour Party | Political party Labour Succeeded by Chris Mole Name Jamie Cann Resigned October 15, 2001 | |
 | ||
Born 28 June 1946
Barton upon Humber, Lincolnshire, England ( 1946-06-28 ) Died October 15, 2001, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | ||
Jamie Charles Cann (28 June 1946 – 15 October 2001) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Leader of Ipswich Borough Council from 1979 to 1991, before becoming the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ipswich in 1992, a seat he held until his death in 2001.
Contents
Early and family life
He was educated at Barton-upon-Humber Grammar School and Kesteven College of Education. He then became a primary school teacher, serving as deputy headmaster of Handford Hall Primary School in Ipswich from 1981 to 1992.
He married Rosemary Lovitt in 1970. They had two sons.
Political career
Cann voted against equalising the age of consent for same-sex relations. In 1998, he was fined £1,000, and disqualified from driving for 18 months for drink-driving.
Renowned as an MP with acerbic wit, he spent most of his time campaigning in the constituency. As leader of Ipswich Borough Council, he was noted as a reformer and helped make Ipswich a model local authority. Many local campaigns were fronted by Cann, including the successful Whitefriars development, saving the Wolsey Theatre and town centre supermarket whilst keeping Ipswich as one of the best providers and maintainers of local authority housing in Britain.
He died in office of liver disease, in October 2001, after a spell in hospital in Cambridge. The subsequent by-election for his seat was held on 22 November and won by the Labour candidate Chris Mole. A retirement home on the Ravenswood development in Ipswich was named in his honour following his death,