Education
Broughton was educated at Rossall School, Downing College, Cambridge and the London Hospital and became a doctor, a member of a family who had been Batley doctors for 70 years.
Broughton was educated at Rossall School, Downing College, Cambridge and the London Hospital and became a doctor, a member of a family who had been Batley doctors for 70 years.
During World World War II he worked in civil defence and in the medical corps of the Royal Air Force. He was an opposition whip in 1960. Broughton was in poor health throughout the 1970s, spending much of the time living in hospital in Yorkshire.
1979 Number Confidence vote and death
On 28 March 1979 the government faced a knife-edge vote of no confidence when Broughton was on his death bed.
Broughton"s doctors were extremely concerned for him and strongly advised him not to traveling Although he was willing to come down to vote, Prime Minister James Callaghan decided it would be obscene to ask him to do so, in case he died during the ambulance journey.
In the event the government lost by one vote. Had Broughton been present, it would have survived.
Broughton died five days later, aged 76.
On 8 June 2009 an afternoon play called "How Are You Feeling, Alf?" about Broughton and the 1979 no confidence vote was aired on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4. David Ryall played Broughton and Malcolm Tierney as James Callaghan.
38th United Kingdom Parliament. 39th United Kingdom Parliament. 40th United Kingdom Parliament.
41st United Kingdom Parliament.
42nd United Kingdom Parliament. 43rd United Kingdom Parliament.
44th United Kingdom Parliament. 45th United Kingdom Parliament.
46th United Kingdom Parliament.
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He was a member of Batley Borough Council 1946-1949. Broughton was Member of Parliament for Batley and Morley from a 1949 by-election.