Who remembers Michael Foster, three times voted in as Labour MP, the first for Rye and Hastings, between 1997-2010?
In Parliament he was a member of the Social Security, Work and Pensions and Standards and Privilege select committees. In 2009, Foster was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Equality in the Government Equalities Office, responsible for the progress of the Government’s Equalities Bill through the House of Commons. He was part of drafting the Legal Services Bill. One quote was “Hastings best MP by far, an MP who cares and loves tennis.”
After leaving Parliament he set up as a sole practitioner at MT Law, with two women at his side who had worked for him in Parliament. He did not give up his work in the community, being busy supporting various charities.
Throughout this his mother, Dorothy Foster, was very supportive, a devoted mother to the family, keeping very much in the background through Michael’s successes. However she was a shrewd woman. In 1946, when her son was born she took out a life insurance of 1 penny in case he died. Well he is very alive, now 80, so Dorothy never claimed it as she died in 2001.
Michael recently found the policy and thought he would find out what it would be worth in today’s money and collect it before his own demise. Well, I am sure some people might work it out: it was worth a princely sum of £208, not a bad investment in Dorothy’s terms thinking ahead. Michael decided to donate the money to the local Salvation Army which his mother was committed to all her life.
Image Credits: Michael Foster .