| Variations of Name | Richard Thomas Dyke Acland |
| Biography | Sir Richard Acland, 15th Baronet was one of the founding members of the British Common Wealth Party in 1942, having previously been a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP). He joined the Labour Party in 1945 and was later a Labour MP. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
In 1942, Acland broke from the Liberals to found the socialist Common Wealth Party with J. B. Priestley and Tom Wintringham, opposing the coalition between the major parties. During the Second World War, the party showed signs of a breakthrough, winning three by-elections. However, the 1945 general election was a disappointment. Only one Member of Parliament, Ernest Millington, was elected, and other figures left.
Acland joined Labour and won the Gravesend by-election of 1947. He served as Second Church Estates Commissioner. In 1955, he resigned from Labour in protest against the party's support for the Conservative government's nuclear defence policy. |