Ronald Buxton (UK politician)

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For other persons named Ronald Buxton, see Ronald Buxton (disambiguation).

Ronald Carlile Buxton (born 20 August 1923) is a former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament for a little over a year, after winning an unexpected victory in by-election in 1965.

Buxton was the Conservative candidate in the safe Labour constituency of Leyton at the 1955 general election, losing by over 8,000 votes to the long-serving Labour MP Reginald Sorensen. He was unsuccessful again at the 1959 election and at the 1964 general election, when Sorensen's majority was nearly 8,000 votes.

Shortly after the election in October, Sorensen was persuaded to accept a life peerage to make way in a safe seat for the Foreign Secretary Patrick Gordon Walker, who had lost his seat in Smethwick. However, the plan failed and on 25th January Buxton won the 1965 Leyton by-election by a narrow margin of only 205 votes, on a reduced turnout.

Gordon Walker regained the seat for Labour at the 1966 general election, with a comfortable majority. Buxton stood again at the 1970 election, but lost again, by over 5,000 votes.