Tom Fraser

Tom Fraser PC (18 February 1911 – 21 November 1988) was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for the Hamilton constituency between 1943 and 1967.

He was Minister of Transport from 16 October 1964 until 23 December 1965. In December 1965 he introduced the 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit on motorways as an emergency measure following a series of multiple crashes on motorways mainly in fog. Throughout his tenure as Minister, he authorised the closure 1,071 mi of railway lines, following the recommendations from the Beeching Report. However, he went further and authorised the closure of lines, notably the Oxford to Cambridge Line, that even Beeching had not considered closing.

In May 1967 he resigned from Parliament to become chairman of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.

He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1964.