| Biography | Peter Arthur David Baker MC was a British soldier, author, publisher and Conservative politician who served as a member of parliament (MP) for South Norfolk.
In the 1950 general election, Baker gained the seat with 18,143 votes. Aged 28, he was then the youngest MP ("Baby of the House"). He was returned again in the 1951 general election. He later became chairman of an ill-fated movement called the Company of Commonwealth Venturers whose main goal was to promote a 'new Elizabethan Age' among Commonwealth countries. Baker improvised a Pageant to fill the Royal Albert Hall in 1954, 15,000 supporters requested the 8,000 seats available.
He is chiefly remembered as the last Member of Parliament to be expelled from the House of Commons, after his arrest for forgery, and as the inspiration behind the eccentric character of publisher Martin York in Muriel Spark's novel A Far Cry From Kensington. Baker's arrest and trial received extensive international media coverage. |