Millwall by-election, 1993

The 1993 Millwall by-election was a local government by-election in the Millwall ward of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on 16 September 1993. The result became widely publicised due to the first ever electoral success for the far-right British National Party by Derek Beackon.

Prelude

Millwall is located on the Isle of Dogs in London, England. Historically, it had been an area of working class residents mainly employed in the many docks on the Isle of Dogs but the closure of the docks in the 1960s had led to high unemployment and deprivation in the area.[1]

In the previous full council elections in 1990, Millwall elected three Labour councillors in a marginal contest between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats retained control of the overall council, having gained control in 1986 as the Liberal-SDP Alliance.[2]

No BNP candidate stood for election in Millwall in 1990, although the party contested some other wards in the borough including Beackon who stood in Redcoat ward where he attracted just 3.6% of the vote.[3]

Millwall election, 1990[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D.J. Chapman 1,755 45.1 +5.3
Labour Y. Amor 1,689
Labour I.F. Walker 1,551
Liberal Democrat R.J. Bensley 1,507 39.9 +12.7
Liberal Democrat J.P. Matthews 1,471
Liberal Democrat G.G. Pye 1,449
Conservative D.C. Hughes 294 7.5 –0.0
Conservative P.W.E. Ingham 284
Green S.G. James 279 7.5 N/A
Conservative D.C. Hoile 249
Majority 44 1.2
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Turnout 41.3 +7.5

An earlier by-election took place in Millwall on 1 October 1992, due to the resignation of Cllr Walker, in which a British National Party candidate stood for the first time. They received their highest ever vote share at the time, taking 20% of the vote.[5]

Millwall by-election, 1992[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E.T. Johns 1,275 38.7 –6.3
Liberal Democrat J.P. Matthews 1,178 35.8 –4.1
BNP B.J. Osborne 657 20.0 N/A
Conservative J.P. Fage 182 5.5 –1.9
Majority 97 2.9
Labour hold Swing

Campaign

The next year Cllr Chapman resigned, leading to another by-election in the same ward. The British National Party's campaign emphasised 'Rights for Whites' through canvassing and leafleting, while the Labour Party campaign focussed on preventing the election of the first BNP councillor.[7]

After a recount, Beackon was declared the winner with a majority of just 7 votes.

Election result

Millwall by-election, 1993[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
BNP Derek Beackon 1,480 33.8 N/A
Labour J.J. Hunt 1,473 33.7 –11.4
Liberal Democrat J.E. Mills 1,284 29.4 –10.6
Conservative T.R. Dickenson 134 3.1 –4.4
Majority 7 0.1
BNP gain from Labour Swing

Aftermath

Beackon lost his seat in the next election after a large increase in turnout increased the actual BNP vote, but increased the Labour vote further to retake the seat.[9] The British National Party would not hold any elected seats again until they won three in Burnley in 2002.[10] Beackon did not re-stand for election until 2008 when he took 17.8% of the vote in Ossett ward on Thurrock council.[11]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.millwall.com/
  2. ↑ http://www.election.demon.co.uk/thbc/mlw.html
  3. ↑ http://www.election.demon.co.uk/thbc/red.html
  4. ↑ http://www.election.demon.co.uk/thbc/mlw.html
  5. ↑ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 52-53
  6. ↑ http://www.election.demon.co.uk/thbc/mlw.html
  7. ↑ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 53-54
  8. ↑ http://www.election.demon.co.uk/thbc/mlw.html
  9. ↑ http://www.election.demon.co.uk/thbc/mlw.html
  10. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1965535.stm
  11. ↑ http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/democracy/content.php?page=wrds&ID=12