Stanley Baynes

Template:Prettytable |+Stanley Milton Baynes |-

Rt. Hon. Stanley Baynes

|- |Position ||13th Prime Minister of Georgeland |- |Term in office || October 1, 1953 - May 7, 1954 (1st time)
July 7, 1958 - August 4, 1965 (2nd time) |- |Preceded by ||Bradford Smith (1st time)
Nathan Keegan (2nd time) |- |Succeeded by ||Nathan Keegan (1st time)
Thomas Hunter (2nd time) |- |Political party || Conservative |- |Total time in office || 7 years 6 months 36 days (6th) |- |Born || September 5, 1903 |- ||Died || January 17, 1974 |- |Spouse || Wanda Baynes |} The Rt. Hon. Stanley Milton Baynes was the 13th Prime Minister of the United Islands of Georgeland. He was the first Prime Minister to be born in the 20th century.
A political moderate, Baynes described himself as a "centrist" and was elected to Parliament in 1934 at the age of 31 after a career as a solicitor and journalist. When the Conservative Party won office in 1950 after twelve years in Opposition, the popular and erudite Baynes was given the influential position of External Affairs minister, though he had little experience in this area. Baynes, due to his leadership ability and speaking skills, was seen as a better alternative to the lacklustre and meek Bradford Smith, who due to ill-health stepped down in 1953. Though Henry Baker stood against Baynes to replace Smith, Baynes was easily elected. However, even Baynes' skills were unable to prevent the Labour Party from returning to power in 1954 after only one term in opposition.
Baynes remained as leader of the Conservative Party and in 1958 won a large majority in the House of Commons.
Baynes' second stint as Prime Minister was much more successful. He had endorsed many of the constitutional reforms initiated by his predecessor Keegan, but opposed an unelected Presidency. Despite this, he agreed to abide by the referendum result and tabled legislation to create a Presidency chosen by Parliament. His government also appointed Air Marshal Arthur Brittan as the country's 5th President.
Baynes led his party through the early 1960s as a moderate, centrist party despite widespread opposition from within. The more conservative, right-wing element within the Tories threatened several times to derail Baynes' moderate agenda but Baynes was able to control this until the early 1960s. In 2007, for the program Georgeland's Greatest Prime Minister, Baynes was named as the favourite PM of incumbent Luke Macaulay (who was born during Baynes' term). The same program named Baynes as the 10th greatest Prime Minister in Georgeland's history.
Baynes won another term at the general election of 1962 but by mid-1964 had suffered a series of backbench revolts over policy, as the 1962 election had brought in less moderate members to the House of Commons. By this time, his efforts to control his party's right-wing were faltering, and on July 7, 1965 Defence Minister Zachary Tamworth, a former general and leader of the party's right-wing, resigned. His resignation sent shockwaves through the government and permanently damaged Baynes' leadership. Baynes resigned as Prime Minister on August 4, but continued to sit in the House of Commons. His successor Thomas Hunter appointed Baynes as Minister for Trade and Customs, but Baynes resigned his ministerial office after Tamworth took the leadership from Hunter in 1966. From the back bench, Baynes made a speech severely criticising Tamworth and was expelled from the Conservative Party. He sat as an Independent in the House of Commons and was re-elected in 1966 as an Independent MP. Baynes strongly opposed the sending of Georgeland troops to Vietnam, and Tamworth was eventually persuaded to send only 'advisers' rather than combat troops, thanks in part to Baynes' lobbying of moderate Tory MPs.
In April 1967 Tamworth lost the party leadership to Thomas Richardson amid a series of protests and increasing opposition on the Tory back bench. Baynes was re-admitted to the Conservatives and chosen as Deputy Leader of the party. He served as Minister for Defence until 1969, when he announced he would not contest the 1970 election.
Baynes died in 1974 and was buried with a state funeral in his native Sergiocitta.

Preceded by Bradford Smith	Prime Minister of Georgeland October 1, 1953 - May 7, 1954	Succeeded by Nathan Keegan
Preceded by Nathan Keegan	Prime Minister of Georgeland July 7 4, 1958 - August 4, 1965	Succeeded by Thomas Hunter