Stonehouse: Cabinet Minister, Fraudster, Spy

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Completely absorbing’CAROL ANN LEE, author of The Murders at White House Farm and A Passion For Poison

John Stonehouse with his first wife, Barbara, and children Julia and Matthew at their country home in 1969. Photograph: Chris Wood/Getty Images Julian has represented clients on some of the most high profile criminal cases over the last 20 years.Yet you keep wanting to read more of this very juicy story. You will need a lot of patience to read through this one as it is a very long and highly detailed story specialising in government terminology, many characters, and code names. Stonehouse's eventual resignation, from a British prison in 1976, caused prime minister James Callaghan's Labour government to lose its knife-edge majority, forcing them into a coalition with the Liberal Party. This book is a brief account of the life of John Stonehouse, with particular emphasis on his botched attempt to fake his own suicide (and the subsequent trial). A new three-part drama, Stonehouse — streaming in Australia on Brit Box from January 17 — stars real-life couple Matthew Macfadyen (Succession, Pride and Prejudice) and Keeley Hawes (The Durrells, Spooks) who play on-screen husband and wife John and Barbara Stonehouse. Too much forgiveness is hard, given Stonehouse’s pattern of offending. The reason, after all, that he had to sail too close to the wind in business, was that he already had done so in politics. His treachery with the Czechs was revealed by defectors and, though his denials were believed after an all-too-chummy interview, Wilson demoted him from his cabinet. Spying, which Stonehouse had imagined to be an easy way to make cash, ended up costing him his career in Westminster, propelling him towards fraud and catastrophe. “It all came tumbling down as a direct result of his fraternisation with the Czechs,” says Hayes.

Julians’ specialism in serious crime, public law and family law can be seen in the following array of cases listed below. These are just a snapshot of some of the many cases Julian has been involved with over the years; Selected Cases Julians expertise has been well utilised undertaking numerous training events for colleagues, Guardians and social workers and others working within the care system. Criminal work Falling short of your goal isn’t a failure, it’s a lesson you can use for next time. 5. Operate with an investor’s mentality.Hayes, a lawyer, saw a preview of the first episode of the three-part drama and read the scripts as part of a consultation. “It says it’s based on a true story, and that’s really as far as it goes. Most of the peripheral characters are made up, and very little is factually correct,” he said. I fully understand and sympathise with why she’s made that case. But it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny – and it certainly wasn’t believed by the jury in his trial.” Stonehouse’s actions were the result of meticulous planning of the most premeditated nature – fake identities, false bank accounts and credit cards, taking money out of his businesses,” said Hayes. “He knew that his wife and children would believe he was dead. It was utterly callous and heartless.”

British MP John Stonehouse appears to have begun his political career as an idealist but greed got the better of him. This is the definitive biography of Stonehouse, written by Julian Hayes, who, as the son of Stonehouse's nephew and lawyer, Michael Hayes, is uniquely placed to tell the story of this charismatic but deeply flawed politician. As a criminal lawyer in London, Hayes has used his in-depth knowledge and experience of the criminal courts, not least the Old Bailey, where the Stonehouse trial took place, to forensically examine Stonehouse's story, including Czech defector Josef Frolík's claim that he was a spy. https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1196590/essex-lorry-deaths-mo-robinson-court-appearance-manslaughter-charges Stonehouse’s daughter, Julia, dismissed the spy claims in her own book, John Stonehouse, My Father, published in 2021. “She puts his behaviour down to depression, breakdown and use of prescription drugs,” said Hayes.

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Preston sees echoes of the 1970s in today’s politics, which may explain the interest in re-examining these stories. “The parallels are coincidental, and I hope our drama is a funny and a poignant story. I don’t want to tell the audience that this guy is a dreadful person. I want them to decide,” he said.

The key is to stay the course and view the journey as a marathon, not a sprint. Operate with an investor’s mentality and delay gratification today for something great tomorrow. 6. Fixate on the vision, but be flexible on the details. One thing Stonehouse's living relatives agree on is that his story has become distorted and sensationalised over the years. Julian was up until 2015 a committee member and Former Vice President of the LCCSA and retains membership of that organisation. He is a member of the SAHCA. Case profileR-v- Younes Tsouli – Central Criminal Court Old Bailey – October/November 2014 – UK legal history as this was the first trial of a defendant previously convicted of Terrorism for further terrorist charge and where the accused was successfully defended and an acquittal was obtained. Independent& Daily Mail I did find out something about his past in the 1960s, which will surprise people who haven’t kept up-to-date with Stonehouse. I would have liked more detail about that, because it’s something I was less aware of that point in his life. https://www.cps.org.uk/files/reports/original/111028102646-20060731PublicServicesTheUseAndAbuseOfTerror.pdf He didn't provide them with particularly good information, and the Czechs were disappointed about that," he says. "I'm not sure he gave away any great state secrets." He can't sue, he's dead