List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950 - 1979)

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This is a list of parliamentary by-elections in the United Kingdom, with the names of the incumbent and victor and their respective parties. Where seats changed political party at the election, the result is highlighted: red for a Labour gain, blue for a Conservative gain, yellow for a Liberal gain, orange for a SNP gain, green for a Plaid Cymru gain and grey for any other gain.

For earlier by-elections, see the list of UK by-elections (1900 - 1918), list of UK by-elections (1918 - 1931) or list of UK by-elections (1931 - 1950), and for later by-elections, see the list of UK by-elections (1979 - present).

Contents

[edit] By-elections

[edit] 47th Parliament (October 1974 - 1979)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Liverpool Edge Hill 29 March 19791 Sir Arthur Irvine Labour David Alton Liberal Death
Knutsford 1 March 1979 John Davies Conservative Jock Bruce-Gardyne Conservative Resignation on medical advice
Clitheroe 1 March 1979 David Walder Conservative David Waddington Conservative Death
Pontefract and Castleford 26 October 1978 Joe Harper Labour Geoffrey Lofthouse Labour Death
Berwick and East Lothian 26 October 1978 John Mackintosh Labour John Home Robertson Labour Death
Penistone 13 July 1978 John Mendelson Labour Allen McKay Labour Death
Manchester Moss Side 13 July 1978 Frank Hatton Labour George Morton Labour Death
Hamilton 31 May 1978 Alexander Wilson Labour George Robertson Labour Death
Wycombe 27 April 1978 Sir John Hall Conservative Raymond Whitney Conservative Death
Epsom & Ewell 27 April 1978 Peter Rawlinson Conservative Archie Hamilton Conservative Life Peerage
Lambeth Central 20 April 1978 Marcus Lipton Labour John Tilley Labour Death
Glasgow Garscadden 13 April 1978 William Small Labour Donald Dewar Labour Death
Ilford North 2 March 19781 Millie Miller Labour Vivian Bendall Conservative Death
Bournemouth East 24 November 1977 John Cordle Conservative David Atkinson Conservative Resignation: found in contempt of the House
Birmingham Ladywood 18 August 1977 Brian Walden Labour John Sever Labour Appointment as presenter of LWT programme Weekend World
Saffron Walden 7 July 1977 Sir Peter Kirk Conservative Alan Haselhurst Conservative Death
Grimsby 28 April 1977 Anthony Crosland Labour Austin Mitchell Labour Death
Ashfield2 28 April 1977 David Marquand Labour Tim Smith Conservative New career as Chief of Staff to Roy Jenkins
Birmingham Stechford 31 March 19772 Roy Jenkins Labour Andrew MacKay Conservative President of the European Commission
City of London and Westminster South 24 February 1977 Christopher Tugendhat Conservative Peter Brooke Conservative European Commissioner
Cambridge 2 December 1976 David Lane Conservative Robert Rhodes James Conservative New career as Chairman for the Commission for Racial Equality
Workington 4 November 19762 Fred Peart Labour Richard Page Conservative Life Peerage on appointment as Leader of the House of Lords
Walsall North 4 November 19762 John Stonehouse Labour/English National Robin Hodgson Conservative Resignation (convicted of insurance fraud)
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central 4 November 1976 Edward Short Labour Harry Cowans Labour New career as Chairman of Cable & Wireless
Thurrock 15 July 1976 Hugh Delargy Labour Oonagh McDonald Labour Death
Rotherham 24 June 1976 Brian O'Malley Labour Stanley Crowther Labour Death
Wirral 11 March 1976 Selwyn Lloyd Speaker David Hunt Conservative Life Peerage
Carshalton 11 March 1976 Robert Carr Conservative Nigel Forman Conservative Life Peerage
Coventry North West 4 March 1976 Maurice Edelman Labour Geoffrey Robinson Labour Death
Woolwich West 26 June 19751 William Hamling Labour Peter Bottomley Conservative Death

[edit] 46th Parliament (February - October 1974)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Newham South 23 May 1974 Elwyn Jones Labour Nigel Spearing Labour Life Peerage on appointment as Lord Chancellor

[edit] 45th Parliament (1970 - February 1974)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Hove 8 November 1973 Martin Maddan Conservative Timothy Sainsbury Conservative Death
Glasgow Govan 8 November 19731 John Rankin Labour Margo MacDonald Scottish National Party Death
Edinburgh North 8 November 1973 Earl of Dalkeith Conservative Alexander Fletcher Conservative Succession to the Peerage
Berwick-upon-Tweed 8 November 19732 Antony Lambton Conservative Alan Beith Liberal Resignation (scandal)
Ripon 26 July 19731 Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott Conservative David Austick Liberal Death
Isle of Ely 26 July 19732 Sir Harry Legge-Bourke Conservative Clement Freud Liberal Death
Manchester Exchange 27 June 1973 William Griffiths Labour Frank Hatton Labour Death
Westhoughton 24 May 1973 Tom Price Labour Roger Stott Labour Death
West Bromwich 24 May 1973 Maurice Foley Labour Betty Boothroyd Labour Appointment to the European Commission staff
Lincoln 1 March 19732 Dick Taverne Labour Dick Taverne Democratic Labour Sought re-election upon change of party allegiance
Dundee East 1 March 19733 George Thomson Labour George Machin Labour Appointment as European Commissioner
Chester-le-Street 1 March 1973 Norman Pentland Labour Giles Radice Labour Death
Uxbridge 7 December 1972 Charles Curran Conservative Michael Shersby Conservative Death
Sutton and Cheam 7 December 19721 Richard Sharples Conservative Graham Tope Liberal Governor of Bermuda
Rochdale 26 October 19722 Jack McCann Labour Cyril Smith Liberal Death
Southwark 4 May 1972 Ray Gunter Labour/Independent Labour Harry Lamborn Labour Resignation (dispute with party)
Kingston-upon-Thames 4 May 1972 John Boyd-Carpenter Conservative Norman Lamont Conservative Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority
Merthyr Tydfil 13 April 19722 S. O. Davies Independent Labour Edward Rowlands Labour Death
Macclesfield 30 September 1971 Sir Arthur Vere Harvey Conservative Nicholas Winterton Conservative Life Peerage
Widnes 23 September 1971 James Eugene McColl Labour Gordon Oakes Labour Death
Stirling and Falkirk 16 September 1971 Malcolm Macpherson Labour Harry Ewing Labour Death
Greenwich 8 July 1971 Richard Marsh Labour Guy Barnett Labour Chairman of British Rail
Hayes and Harlington 17 June 1971 Arthur Skeffington Labour Neville Sandelson Labour Death
Goole 27 May 1971 George Jeger Labour Edmund Marshall Labour Death
Bromsgrove 27 May 19711 James Dance Conservative Terry Davis Labour Death
Southampton Itchen 27 May 1971 Horace King Speaker Bob Mitchell Labour Life Peerage
Arundel and Shoreham 1 April 1971 Henry Kerby Conservative Richard Luce Conservative Death
Liverpool Scotland 1 April 1971 Walter Alldritt Labour Frank Marsden Labour Resignation
Enfield West 19 November 1970 Iain Macleod Conservative Cecil Parkinson Conservative Death
St Marylebone 22 October 1970 Quintin Hogg Conservative Kenneth Baker Conservative Life Peerage on appointment as Lord Chancellor
  • 1 - Gain not retained at the February 1974 UK general election.
  • 2 - Gain retained at the February 1974 UK general election.
  • 3 - George Machin retained the seat for Labour in the by-election but lost it to the SNP in the February 1974 UK general election.

[edit] 44th Parliament (1966 - 1970)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Ayrshire South 19 March 1970 Emrys Hughes Labour James Sillars Labour Death
Bridgwater 12 March 1970 Gerald Wills Conservative Tom King Conservative Death
Wellingborough 4 December 19691 Harry Howarth Labour Peter Fry Conservative Death
Louth 4 December 1969 Sir Cyril Osborne Conservative Jeffrey Archer Conservative Death
Swindon 3 October 19692 Francis Noel-Baker Labour Christopher Ward Conservative Resignation
Paddington North 3 October 1969 Ben Parkin Labour Arthur Latham Labour Death
Newcastle-under-Lyme 3 October 1969 Stephen Swingler Labour John Golding Labour Death
Islington North 3 October 1969 Gerald Reynolds Labour Michael O'Halloran Labour Death
Glasgow Gorbals 3 October 1969 Alice Cullen Labour Frank McElhone Labour Death
Birmingham Ladywood 26 June 19692 Victor Yates Labour Wallace Lawler Liberal Death
Chichester 22 May 1969 Walter Loveys Conservative Christopher Chataway Conservative Death
Mid Ulster 17 April 19691 George Forrest Ulster Unionist Bernadette Devlin Unity Death
Weston-super-Mare 27 March 1969 David Webster Conservative Jerry Wiggin Conservative Death
Walthamstow East 27 March 19691 William Robinson Labour Michael McNair-Wilson Conservative Death
Brighton Pavilion 27 March 1969 Sir William Teeling Conservative Julian Amery Conservative Resignation
New Forest 7 November 1968 Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre Conservative Patrick McNair-Wilson Conservative Resignation
Bassetlaw 31 October 1968 Frederick Bellenger Labour Joseph Ashton Labour Death
Caerphilly 18 July 1968 Ness Edwards Labour Alfred Evans Labour Death
Nelson and Colne 27 June 19681 Sydney Silverman Labour David Waddington Conservative Death
Sheffield Brightside 13 June 1968 Richard Winterbottom Labour Edward Griffiths Labour Death
Oldham West 13 June 19682 Leslie Hale Labour Bruce Campbell Conservative Resignation
Warwick and Leamington 28 March 1968 John Hobson Conservative Dudley Gordon Smith Conservative Death
Meriden 28 March 19681 Christopher Rowland Labour Keith Speed Conservative Death
Dudley 28 March 19682 George Wigg Labour Donald Williams Conservative Life Peerage on appointment as Chairman of Horserace Betting Levy Board
Acton 28 March 19682 Bernard Floud Labour Kenneth Baker Conservative Death (suicide)
Kensington South 14 March 1968 William Roots Conservative Sir Brandon Rhys Williams Conservative Resignation (ill-health?)
Derbyshire West 23 November 1967 Aidan Crawley Conservative James Scott-Hopkins Conservative Appointment as Chairman of London Weekend Television
Manchester Gorton 2 November 1967 Konni Zilliacus Labour Kenneth Marks Labour Death
Leicester South West 2 November 19671 Herbert Bowden Labour Thomas Boardman Conservative Appointment as Chairman of Independent Television Authority
Hamilton 2 November 19672 Thomas Fraser Labour Winifred Ewing Scottish National Party Appointment to North Scotland Hydro-Electricity Board
Walthamstow West 21 September 19672 Edward Redhead Labour Frederick Silvester Conservative Death
Cambridge 21 September 19671 Robert Davies Labour David Lane Conservative Death
Brierley Hill 27 April 1967 John Talbot Conservative Fergus Montgomery Conservative Death
Honiton 16 March 1967 Robert Mathew Conservative Peter Emery Conservative Death
Rhondda West 9 March 1967 Iorwerth Thomas Labour Trevor Jones Labour Death
Nuneaton 9 March 1967 Frank Cousins Labour Leslie Huckfield Labour Resignation
Glasgow Pollok 9 March 19672 Alexander Garrow Labour Esmond Wright Conservative Death
Carmarthen 14 July 19662 Megan Lloyd George Labour Gwynfor Evans Plaid Cymru Death

[edit] 43rd Parliament (1964 - 1966)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Hull North 27 January 1966 Henry Solomons Labour Kevin McNamara Labour Death
Erith and Crayford 11 November 1965 Norman Dodds Labour James Wellbeloved Labour Death
Cities of London and Westminster 4 November 1965 Sir Harry Hylton-Foster Speaker John Smith Conservative Death
Hove 22 July 1965 Anthony Marlowe Conservative Martin Maddan Conservative Resignation (ill-health)
Birmingham Hall Green 6 May 1965 Aubrey Jones Conservative Reginald Eyre Conservative Appointment as Chairman of National Board for Prices and Incomes
Abertillery 1 April 1965 Llywelyn Williams Labour Clifford Williams Labour Death
Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles 24 March 19651 Charles Donaldson Conservative David Steel Liberal Death
Saffron Walden 23 March 1965 R. A. Butler Conservative Peter Kirk Conservative Life Peerage
Salisbury 4 February 1965 John Morrison Conservative Michael Hamilton Conservative Hereditary Peerage
East Grinstead 4 February 1965 Evelyn Emmet Conservative Geoffrey Johnson-Smith Conservative Life Peerage
Altrincham and Sale 4 February 1965 Fred Erroll Conservative Anthony Barber Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Nuneaton 21 January 1965 Frank Bowles Labour Frank Cousins Labour Life Peerage to provide seat for Minister of Technology Frank Cousins
Leyton 21 January 19652 Reg Sorensen Labour Ronald Buxton Conservative Life Peerage to provide seat for Foreign Secretary Patrick Gordon Walker

[edit] 42nd Parliament (1959 - 1964)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Liverpool Scotland 11 June 1964 David Logan Labour Walter Alldritt Labour Death
Faversham 14 May 1964 Percy Wells Labour Terence Boston Labour Death
Winchester 14 May 1964 Peter Smithers Conservative Morgan Morgan-Giles Conservative Appointment as Secretary-General of Council of Europe
Rutherglen 14 May 19641 Richard Brooman-White Conservative Gregor Mackenzie Labour Death
Devizes 14 May 1964 Percivall Pott Conservative Charles Morrison Conservative Death
Bury St Edmunds 14 May 1964 Sir William Aitken Conservative Eldon Griffiths Conservative Death
Dumfriesshire 12 December 1963 Niall MacPherson Conservative David Colville Anderson Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Sudbury and Woodbridge 5 December 1963 John Hare Conservative Keith Stainton Conservative Hereditary Peerage
St Marylebone 5 December 1963 Sir Wavell Wakefield Conservative Quintin Hogg Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Manchester Openshaw 5 December 1963 William Williams Labour Charles Morris Labour Death
Dundee West 21 December 1963 John Strachey Labour Peter Doig Labour Death
Luton 7 November 19631 Dr. Charles Hill Conservative Will Howie Labour Life Peerage on appointment as Chairman of Independent Television Authority
Kinross and West Perthshire 7 November 1963 Gilmour Leburn Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home Conservative Death
Belfast South 22 October 1963 Sir David Campbell Ulster Unionist Rafton Pounder Ulster Unionist Death
Bristol South East 20 August 19631 Malcolm St Clair Conservative Tony Benn Labour Resignation
Stratford 15 August 1963 John Profumo Conservative Angus Maude Conservative Resignation (lying to the House of Commons)
West Bromwich 4 July 1963 John Dugdale Labour Maurice Foley Labour Death
Deptford 4 July 1963 Sir Leslie Plummer Labour John Silkin Labour Death
Leeds South 20 June 1963 Hugh Gaitskell Labour Merlyn Rees Labour Death
Swansea East 28 March 1963 David Mort Labour Neil McBride Labour Death
Rotherham 28 March 1963 John Henry Jones Labour Brian O'Malley Labour Death (road accident)
Colne Valley 21 March 1963 William Glenvil Hall Labour Patrick Duffy Labour Death
Northamptonshire South 22 November 1962 Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller Conservative Arthur Jones Conservative Hereditary Peerage on appointment as Lord Chancellor
Norfolk Central 22 November 1962 Richard Collard Conservative Ian Gilmour Conservative Death
Glasgow Woodside 22 November 19621 William Grant Conservative Neil Carmichael Labour Appointment as Lord Justice Clerk
Dorset South 22 November 19622 Viscount Hinchingbrooke Conservative Guy Barnett Labour Succession to Peerage
Chippenham 22 November 1962 David Eccles Conservative Daniel Awdry Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Leicester North East 12 July 1962 Sir Lynn Ungoed-Thomas Labour Tom Bradley Labour Appointment as High Court Judge
West Lothian 14 July 1962 John Taylor Labour Tam Dalyell Labour Death
West Derbyshire 6 June 1962 Edward Wakefield Conservative Aidan Crawley Conservative Appointment as Commissioner for Malta
Middlesbrough West 6 June 19621 Sir Jocelyn Simon Conservative Jeremy Bray Labour Appointment as President of Probate Division of the High Court
Montgomeryshire 15 May 1962 Clement Davies Liberal Emlyn Hooson Liberal Death
Derby North 17 April 1962 Clifford Wilcock Labour Niall MacDermot Labour Death
Stockton-on-Tees 5 April 1962 George Chetwynd Labour Bill Rodgers Labour Appointment as Director of North-East Development Council
Pontefract 22 March 1962 George Sylvester Labour Joseph Harper Labour Death
Orpington 14 March 19621 Donald Sumner Conservative Eric Lubbock Liberal Appointment as County Court Judge
Middlesbrough East 14 March 1962 Hilary Marquand Labour Arthur Bottomley Labour Appointment as Director of International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva
Blackpool North 13 March 1962 Toby Low Conservative Norman Miscampbell Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Lincoln 8 March 1962 Geoffrey de Freitas Labour Dick Taverne Labour Appointed as High Commissioner to Ghana
Glasgow Bridgeton 16 November 1961 James Carmichael Labour James Bennett Labour Resignation (ill-health?)
Oswestry 9 November 1961 William Ormsby-Gore Conservative John Biffen Conservative Appointment as Ambassador to Washington
Fife East 9 November 1961 Sir James Henderson-Stuart, Bt. Conservative John Gilmour Conservative Death
Manchester Moss Side 8 November 1961 James Watts Conservative Frank Taylor Conservative Death
Bristol South East 4 May 19613 Tony Benn Labour Malcolm St Clair Conservative Succession to Peerage
Warrington 20 April 1961 Dr Edith Summerskill Labour Thomas Williams Labour Life Peerage
Paisley 20 April 1961 Douglas Johnston Labour John Robertson Labour Appointment to Court of Session
Birmingham Small Heath 23 March 1961 William Wheeldon Labour Denis Howell Labour Death
Worcester 16 March 1961 George Ward Conservative Peter Walker Conservative Hereditary Peerage
High Peak 16 March 1961 High Molson Conservative David Walder Conservative Life Peerage
Colchester 16 March 1961 Cuthbert Alport Conservative Antony Buck Conservative Life Peerage on appointment as High Commissioner to Rhodesia
Cambridgeshire 16 March 1961 Gerald Howard Conservative Francis Pym Conservative Appointment as High Court Judge
Blyth 24 November 1960 Alfred Robens Labour Eddie Milne Labour Appointment as Chairman of National Coal Board
Ebbw Vale 17 November 1960 Aneurin Bevan Labour Michael Foot Labour Death
Tiverton 16 November 1960 Derick Heathcoat Amory Conservative Robin Maxwell-Hyslop Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Petersfield 16 November 1960 Hon. Peter Legh Conservative Joan Quennell Conservative Succession to Peerage
Ludlow 16 November 1960 Christopher Holland-Martin Conservative Jasper More Conservative Death
Carshalton 16 November 1960 Antony Head Conservative Walter Elliot Conservative Hereditary Peerage on appointment as High Commissioner to Nigeria
Bolton East 16 November 19604 Philip Bell Conservative Edwin Taylor Conservative Appointment as County Court Judge
Mid Bedfordshire 16 November 1960 Alan Lennox-Boyd Conservative Stephen Hastings Conservative Hereditary Peerage
Edinburgh North 19 May 1960 William Rankine Milligan Conservative John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Earl of Dalkeith Conservative Appointment to Court of Session
Harrow West 17 March 1960 Sir Albert Braithwaite Conservative John Page Conservative Death (suicide)
Brighouse and Spenborough 17 March 19605 Lewis John Edwards Labour Michael Shaw Conservative Death
  • 1 - Gain retained at the 1964 UK general election.
  • 2 - Gain not retained at the 1964 UK general election.
  • 3 - Tony Benn won the most votes but was disqualified by virtue of his Peerage; the Election Court declared Malcolm St.Clair duly elected. St. Clair undertook that if the law was changed to allow Benn to disclaim his hereditary peerage, he would resign and create a by-election. The law was changed by the Peerage Act 1963 and St. Clair duly resigned, allowing Benn to return to the Commons in 1963.
  • 4 - Edwin Taylor retained the seat for the Conservatives in the by-election but lost it to Labour in the 1964 UK general election.
  • 5 - A rare occasion when an incumbent government gained a seat from the opposition in a by-election, although it was lost at the 1964 UK general election.

[edit] 41st Parliament (1955 - 1959)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Whitehaven 18 June 1959 Frank Anderson Labour Joseph Symonds Labour Death
Penistone 11 June 1959 Henry McGhee Labour John Mendelson Labour Death
Galloway 9 April 1959 John Mackie Conservative John Brewis Conservative Death
South West Norfolk 25 March 1959 Sidney Dye Labour Albert Hilton Labour Death (road accident)
Harrow East 19 March 1959 Ian Harvey Conservative Anthony Courtney Conservative Resignation (scandal)
Belfast East 19 March 1959 Alan McKibbin Ulster Unionist Stanley McMaster Ulster Unionist Death
Southend West 29 January 1959 Sir Henry Channon Conservative Paul Channon Conservative Death
Shoreditch and Finsbury 27 November 1958 Victor Collins Labour Michael Cliffe Labour Elevation to a life peerage
East Aberdeenshire 20 November 1958 Sir Robert Boothby Conservative Patrick Wolrige-Gordon Conservative Elevation to a life peerage
Pontypool 10 November 1958 Daniel Granville West Labour Leo Abse Labour Elevation to a life peerage
Chichester 6 November 1958 Hon. Sir Lancelot Joynson-Hicks Conservative Walter Loveys Conservative Succession to the peerage
Morecambe and Lunesdale 6 November 1958 Sir Ian Fraser Conservative Basil de Ferranti Conservative Elevation to a life peerage
Argyll 12 June 1958 Sir Duncan McCallum Conservative Michael Noble Conservative Death
Weston-super-Mare 12 June 1958 Sir Ian Leslie Orr-Ewing Conservative David Webster Conservative Death
Wigan 12 June 1958 Ronald Williams Labour Alan Fitch Labour Death
St Helens 12 June 1958 Sir Hartley Shawcross Labour Leslie Spriggs Labour Resignation
Ealing South 12 June 1958 Angus Maude Conservative Brian Batsford Conservative Resignation
Islington North 15 May 1958 Wilfred Fienburgh Labour Gerald Reynolds Labour Death (road accident)
Torrington 27 March 19581 George Lambert Conservative and National Liberal Mark Bonham-Carter Liberal Succession to Peerage
Glasgow Kelvingrove 13 March 19581 Walter Elliot Conservative Mary McAlister Labour Death
Rochdale 12 February 19582 Wentworth Schofield Conservative John McCann Labour Death
Liverpool Garston 5 December 1957 Sir Victor Raikes Conservative / Independent Conservative Richard Martin Bingham Conservative Resignation (dispute with party)
Leicester South-East 28 November 1957 Charles Waterhouse Conservative John Peel Conservative Resignation
Ipswich 24 October 1957 Richard Stokes Labour Dingle Foot Labour Death
Gloucester 12 September 1957 Moss Turner-Samuels Labour Jack Diamond Labour Death
North Dorset 27 June 1957 Robert Crouch Conservative Richard Glyn Conservative Death
Hornsey 30 May 1957 Sir David Gammans Conservative Lady Muriel Gammans Conservative Death
East Ham North 30 May 1957 Percy Daines Labour Reginald Prentice Labour Death
Edinburgh South 29 May 1957 Sir William Darling Conservative Michael Clark Hutchison Conservative Resignation
Newcastle-upon-Tyne North 21 March 1957 Gwilym Lloyd George National Liberal and Conservative Robert Elliott Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Beckenham 21 March 1957 Patrick Buchan-Hepburn Conservative Philip Goodhart Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Warwick and Leamington 7 March 1957 Sir Anthony Eden Conservative John Hobson Conservative Resignation due to ill health
Bristol West 7 March 1957 Sir Walter Monckton Conservative Robert Cooke Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Carmarthen 28 February 19572 Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris Liberal Megan Lloyd George Labour Death
Wednesbury 28 February 1957 Stanley Evans Labour John Stonehouse Labour Resignation (disagreement with party over Suez)
Lewisham North 14 February 19571 Sir Austin Hudson, Bt. Conservative Niall MacDermot Labour Death
Melton 19 December 1956 Anthony Nutting Conservative Mervyn Pike Conservative Resignation (disagreement with party over Suez)
City of Chester 15 November 1956 Basil Nield Conservative John Temple Conservative Recorder of Manchester
Chester-le-Street 27 September 1956 Patrick Bartley Labour Norman Pentland Labour Death
Newport 6 July 1956 Peter Freeman Labour Sir Frank Soskice Labour Death
Tonbridge 7 June 1956 Gerald Williams Conservative Richard Hornby Conservative Resignation
Mid Ulster 8 May 19563 Charles Beattie Ulster Unionist George Forrest Independent Unionist Disqualification
Walthamstow West 1 March 1956 Clement Attlee Labour Edward Redhead Labour Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Taunton 14 February 1956 Henry Hopkinson Conservative Edward du Cann Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Gainsborough 14 February 1956 Harry Crookshank Conservative Marcus Kimball Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Hereford 14 February 1956 James Thomas Conservative David Gibson-Watt Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Leeds North East 9 February 1956 Osbert Peake Conservative Sir Keith Joseph, Bt. Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Blaydon 2 February 1956 William Whiteley Labour Robert Woof Labour Death
Torquay 15 December 1955 Charles Williams Conservative Frederic Bennett Conservative Death
Greenock 8 December 1955 Hector McNeil Labour Dickson Mabon Labour Death
Gateshead West 7 December 1955 John Hall Labour Harry Randall Labour Death
Mid Ulster 11 August 19553 Tom Mitchell Sinn Féin Charles Beattie Ulster Unionist Disqualification
  • 1 - Gain not retained at the 1959 UK general election.
  • 2 - Gain retained at the 1959 UK general election.
  • 3 - Tom Mitchell won the most votes in the 1955 General Election but was disqualified by the House of Commons on the grounds that he was a convicted felon. A by-election was called at which Mitchell again stood and won the most votes. On this occasion an election petition was lodged and Mitchell was again disqualified with the Election Court declaring his opponent Charles Beattie duly elected. It was then discovered that Beattie was ineligible to sit because he held offices of profit under the Crown. Beattie was indemnified by Parliament against the consequences of sitting and voting while ineligible, and a further writ was moved. In the subsequent by-election Independent Unionist George Forrest gained more votes than Mitchell and duly took his seat. Subsequently Forrest took the Ulster Unionist whip and won the seat in his new party colours at the 1959 General Election.

[edit] 40th Parliament (1951 - 1955)
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Wrexham 17 March 1955 Robert Richards Labour Idwal Jones Labour Death
Stockport South 3 February 1955 Sir Arnold Gridley Conservative Harold Macdonald Steward Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Edinburgh North 27 January 1955 James Clyde Conservative William Rankine Milligan Conservative Lord President, Court of Session
Twickenham 25 January 1955 Sir Edward Keeling Conservative Roger Gresham Cooke Conservative Death
Orpington 20 January 1955 Sir Waldron Smithers Conservative Donald Sumner Conservative Death
South Norfolk 13 January 1955 Peter Baker Conservative John Hill Conservative Expelled from the House (convicted of fraud)
Inverness 21 December 1954 Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Conservative Neil McLean Conservative Resignation
Armagh 20 November 19541 James Harden Ulster Unionist Christopher Armstrong Ulster Unionist Resignation
Liverpool West Derby 18 November 1954 Sir David Maxwell Fyfe Conservative John Woollam Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Morpeth 4 November 1954 Robert Taylor Labour Will Owen Labour Death
Sutton and Cheam 4 November 1954 Sir Sidney Marshall Conservative Richard Sharples Conservative Resignation
Aberdare 28 October 1954 David Thomas Labour Arthur Probert Labour Death
Aldershot 28 October 1954 Oliver Lyttelton Conservative Sir Eric Errington Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Wakefield 21 October 1954 Arthur Greenwood Labour Arthur Creech Jones Labour Death
Shoreditch and Finsbury 21 October 1954 Ernest Thurtle Labour Victor Collins Labour Death
Croydon East 30 September 1954 Sir Herbert Williams Conservative John Hughes-Hallett Conservative Death
Motherwell 14 April 1954 Alexander Anderson Labour George Lawson Labour Death
Edinburgh East 8 April 1954 John Wheatley Labour Eustace Willis Labour Judge, Court of Session
Harrogate 11 March 1954 Christopher York Conservative James Ramsden Conservative Resignation
Arundel and Shoreham 9 March 1954 William Cuthbert Conservative Henry Kerby Conservative Resignation
Bournemouth West 18 February 1954 Viscount Cranborne Conservative John Eden Conservative Resignation
Harwich 11 February 1954 Sir Stanley Holmes National Liberal and Conservative Julian Ridsdale Conservative and National Liberal Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Haltemprice 11 February 1954 Richard Kidston Law Conservative Patrick Wall Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Ilford North 3 February 1954 Sir Geoffrey Hutchinson Conservative Thomas Iremonger Conservative Chairman, National Assistance Board
Paddington North 3 December 1953 William J. Field Labour Ben Parkin Labour Resignation (scandal)
Holborn and St Pancras South 19 November 1953 Dr Santo Jeger Labour Lena Jeger Labour Death
Ormskirk 12 November 1953 Sir Arthur Salter Conservative Douglas Glover Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Crosby 12 November 1953 Malcolm Bullock Conservative Graham Page Conservative Resignation
Broxtowe 17 September 1953 Seymour Cocks Labour William Warbey Labour Death
Birmingham Edgbaston 2 July 1953 Sir Peter Bennett Conservative Edith Pitt Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Abingdon 30 June 1953 Sir Ralph Glyn, Bt. Conservative Airey Neave Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Sunderland South 13 May 19532 Richard Ewart Labour Paul Glyn Williams Conservative Death
Down North 15 April 19533 Sir Walter Smiles Ulster Unionist Patricia Ford Ulster Unionist Death (drowned in ferry disaster)
Hayes and Harlington 1 April 1953 William Ayles Labour Arthur Skeffington Labour Resignation
Stoke-on-Trent North 31 March 1953 Albert Davies Labour Harriet Slater Labour Death
Barnsley 31 March 1953 Sidney Schofield Labour Roy Mason Labour Resignation
Isle of Thanet 12 March 1953 Hon. Edward Carson Conservative William Rees-Davies Conservative Resignation
Canterbury 12 February 1953 John Baker White Conservative Leslie Thomas Conservative Resignation
Farnworth 27 November 1952 George Tomlinson Labour Ernest Thornton Labour Death
Birmingham Small Heath 27 November 1952 Fred Longden Labour William Wheeldon Labour Death
Belfast South 4 November 1952 Connolly Gage Ulster Unionist Sir David Campbell Ulster Unionist Resignation
Wycombe 4 November 1952 Hon. William Waldorf Astor Conservative John Hall Conservative Succession to the peerage
Antrim North 27 October 19523 Sir Hugh O'Neill Ulster Unionist Hon. Phelim O'Neill Ulster Unionist Resignation
Cleveland 23 October 1952 George Willey Labour Arthur Palmer Labour Death
Dundee East 17 July 1952 Tomas Cook Labour George Thomson Labour Death (road accident)
Leeds South East 7 February 1952 Major James Milner Labour Denis Healey Labour Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Southport 6 February 1952 Robert Hudson Conservative Roger Fleetwood-Hesketh Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Bournemouth East and Christchurch 6 February 1952 Brendan Bracken Conservative Nigel Nicolson Conservative Elevation to a hereditary peerage
  • 1 - The Armagh by-election was the last time to date when a UK Parliamentary election was uncontested.
  • 2 - A rare occasion when an incumbent government gained a seat from the opposition in a by-election. The gain was held at the 1955 UK general election.
  • 3 - An uncontested by-election.

[edit] 39th Parliament (1950 - 1951)

No seats changed hands during this Parliament.
By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Westhoughton 21 June 1951 Rhys Davies Labour Thomas Price Labour Death
Woolwich East 14 June 1951 Ernest Bevin Labour Christopher Mayhew Labour Death
Londonderry 19 May 19511 Sir Ronald Ross Ulster Unionist William Wellwood Ulster Unionist Appointment as Northern Ireland Government Agent in London
Harrow West 21 April 1951 Norman Bower Conservative Albert Braithwaite Conservative Resignation
Ormskirk 5 April 1951 Sir Ronald Cross Conservative Arthur Salter Conservative Appointment as Governor of Tasmania
Bristol West 15 February 1951 Oliver Stanley Conservative Walter Monckton Conservative Death
Abertillery 30 November 1950 George Daggar Labour Llywelyn Williams Labour Death
Bristol South East 30 November 1950 Sir Stafford Cripps Labour Tony Benn Labour Resignation (ill-health)
Belfast West 29 November 19502 James MacManaway Ulster Unionist Thomas Teevan Ulster Unionist Disqualified
Birmingham Handsworth 16 November 1950 Harold Roberts Conservative Edward Boyle Conservative Death
Oxford 2 November 1950 Quintin Hogg Conservative Henry Turner Conservative Succession to the Peerage
Glasgow Scotstoun 25 October 1950 Sir Arthur Young Conservative James Hutchinson Conservative Death
Leicester North East 28 September 1950 Terence Donovan Labour Lynn Ungoed-Thomas Labour Appointment as High Court Judge
Brighouse and Spenborough 4 May 1950 Frederick Arthur Cobb Labour Lewis John Edwards Labour Death
Dunbartonshire West 25 April 1950 Adam M'Kinley Labour Thomas Steele Labour Death
Sheffield Neepsend 5 April 1950 Harry Morris Labour Frank Soskice Labour Resignation to provide a seat for Solicitor General Frank Soskice
  • 1 - uncontested by-election.
  • 2 - MacManaway had been ordained a priest in the Church of Ireland in 1925. Before his candidature he sought legal advice and resigned all offices in the Church. However after his election the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council determined him ineligible to sit, ruling that the House of Commons (Clergy Disqualification) Act 1801 disqualified him.
By-elections in the United Kingdom
British Parliament: 1885 - 1900 • 1900 - 1918 • 1918 - 1931 • 1931 - 1950 • 1950 - 1979 • 1979 - present
Scottish Parliament • Welsh Assembly


[edit] See Also

[edit] References

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