Mr. A. A. Purcell, secretary of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council, and former M.P. for Coventry and the Forest of Dean, died suddenly at his home in Kendall Road, Crumpsall, Manchester, last week. Mr. Purcell entered public life as a member of Salford City Council, and had a reputation as one of the most vigorous personalities in the Labour movement in the North.
From 1924 to 1927 he was president of the International Federation of Trade Unions and was appointed secretary of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council.
An authority on the Rent Restrictions Act, he led an intensive campaign against high rents in 1931, in the course of which he investigated thousands of cases of alleged exploitation. His death came as a great shock to the Labour party.