Upper Bann by-election, 1990

Upper Bann by-election, 1990
United Kingdom
17 May 1990

 
Candidate David Trimble Bríd Rodgers
Party UUP SDLP
Popular vote 20,547 6,698
Percentage 58.0% 18.9%

MP before election

Harold McCusker
UUP

Subsequent MP

David Trimble
UUP

The 1990 by-election in Upper Bann was caused by the death of the sitting Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament Harold McCusker on 2 February 1990.

The by-election was especially notable for three reasons. Firstly, eleven candidates stood in the by-election, which to date is the record for a parliamentary election in Northern Ireland. Secondly, amongst the eleven were candidates for the Conservative Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), both contesting parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland for the first time since the "Equal Citizenship" campaign had sought to get the major UK parties to organise in the province. Finally the successful Ulster Unionist candidate was David Trimble, who five years later would become the leader of the party.

The SDP candidate took only 154 votes, and finished in eleventh and last place - the worst performance in a by-election by any party with MPs sitting in the House of Commons since the English National Party in the Rotherham by-election, 1976.

The Sinn Féin candidate in the election, Sheena Campbell, was shot dead by the UVF in Belfast on 16 October 1992.

Results

By-election 1990: Upper Bann
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP David Trimble 20,547 58.0 -3.5
SDLP Brid Rodgers 6,698 18.9 -1.6
Sinn Féin Sheena Campbell 2,033 5.7 -1.7
Ulster Independence Hugh Ross 1,534 4.3 N/A
Workers' Party Tom French 1,083 3.1 -1.6
Conservative Colette Jones 1,038 3.0 N/A
Alliance William Ramsay 948 2.7 -3.2
Ulster Democratic Gary McMichael 600 1.7 N/A
Green Peter Doran 576 1.6 N/A
Independent Labour Erskine Holmes 235 0.6 N/A
Social Democrat Alistair Dunn 154 0.4 N/A
Majority 13,849
Turnout 53.4

General Election result, 1987

General Election 1987: Upper Bann
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Harold McCusker 25,137 61.5 4.6
SDLP Brid Rodgers 8,676 20.5 3.7
Sinn Féin Brendan Curran 3,126 7.4 -2.0
Alliance Fionnuala Cook 2,487 5.9 N/A
Workers' Party Tom French 2,004 4.7 -0.8
Majority 16,461
Turnout 66.0 -6.0