Lawrence Cunliffe  Lawrence Cunliffe (born 25 March 1929) is a retired British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh from 1979 to 2001. Cunliffe was born in Walkden, Lancashire, in 1929. He was a National Coal Board engineer, and became involved in the National Union of Mineworkers. He first stood for Parliament in Rochdale. There, he lost the previously Labour-held seat to the Liberal candidate Cyril Smith at a by-election in 1972, and was again defeated by Smith at the subsequent general election in February 1974. Cunliffe served as the Member of Parliament for Leigh from 1979 until he retired from the House of Commons at the 2001 general election.