| James Wellbeloved | |
| Office: | Under-Secretary of State for the Air Force |
| Primeminister: | James Callaghan |
| Term Start: | 14 April 1976 |
| Term End: | 6 May 1979 |
| Predecessor: | Brynmor John |
| Successor: | Geoffrey Pattie |
| Constituency Mp1: | Erith and Crayford |
| Parliament1: | United Kingdom |
| Term Start1: | 11 November 1965 |
| Term End1: | 13 May 1983 |
| Predecessor1: | Norman Dodds |
| Successor1: | David Evennett |
| Birth Name: | Alfred James Wellbeloved |
| Birth Date: | 29 July 1926 |
| Birth Place: | London, England |
| Death Place: | London, England |
| Party: | Labour (1956–1981; after 1983) |
| Otherparty: | SDP (1981–?) |
| Children: | 3 |
Alfred James Wellbeloved (29 July 1926 – 10 September 2012) was a British politician who was the MP for Erith and Crayford from 1965 to 1983. He was elected as a member of the Labour Party, but defected to the Social Democratic Party after its formation in 1981.
Wellbeloved was born in Lewisham in 1926.[1] He was a boy seaman in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he attended South London Technical College, and worked in the building and appliance industries, becoming active as a union officer.[1] [2] He married Mavis Radcliff in 1948, and they had three children.[2]
Wellbeloved served as a councillor on Erith Borough Council from 1956, and was the first leader of the London Borough of Bexley from 1964.[2]
He was elected Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Erith and Crayford at a 1965 by-election following the death of Norman Dodds, whose constituency chairman he had been.[2]
In 1970, there was a discussion in the House of Commons as to whether to continue the practice of the rum ration, now known as the "Great Rum Debate". Wellbeloved argued in favour of continuing the practice.[3]
Wellbeloved served successively as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Defence Minister Gerry Reynolds and Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart, and was under-secretary of state for the Air Force in the Callaghan government.[1]
In 1981, Wellbeloved was among the Labour MPs who defected to the Social Democratic Party. At the 1983 general election, he lost his seat by just 920 votes to the Conservative David Evennett.[2] He later rejoined the Labour Party.[1]
Wellbeloved was known for his brusque, uncompromising personality, leading some colleagues to remark upon his surname with irony.[1]
After leaving parliament, Wellbeloved served on the boards of organ donation groups. He died in Bexley on 10 September 2012, at the age of 86.[1]