Barking by-election, 1994
Encyclopedia
The Barking by-election was held on 9 June 1994, following the death of Labour Party
Member of Parliament
for Barking
Jo Richardson
. Richardson had represented the seat since the February 1974 general election
, following Tom Driberg.
The seat had been continuously held by Labour since it was created in 1945, and Richardson had retained her seat comfortably at the 1992 general election
with an increased majority of over 6,000. Margaret Hodge
, leader of Islington London Borough Council
from 1982 to 1992, was selected as the Labour candidate and was the clear favourite to hold the seat at the by-election
.
The Conservative Party
had taken second place in 1992. John Kennedy, the candidate in 1992, went on to contest (and lose) Halesowen and Rowley Regis in the 1997 general election
, but was not selected to fight the 1994 by-election, the Conservative nomination going instead to Theresa May
. She had been a councillor in the London Borough of Merton
from 1986 to 1994, and had stood (and lost) in the safe Labour seat of North West Durham in 1992. Having lost two of the three previous by-elections of the Parliament to the Liberal Democrats
, and failing to challenge Labour in the third, the Conservatives were not hopeful of gaining ground.
The Liberal Democrat candidate, Steve Churchman, had taken little more than a tenth of the votes cast in 1992, continuing a downward track since 1983. A new candidate, Gary White, was chosen for the by-election.
Three other candidates stood: Gary Needs of the National Front
, Gerard Batten
of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and H. R. Butensky of the Natural Law Party
.
. The other three candidates all lost their deposits.
At the 1997 UK general election
, Hodge retained the seat with an increased majority. May went on to be elected as MP for Maidenhead
in 1997. Two other candidates in Barking in 1994 also stood in 1997: Needs contested Devon East for the National Democrats
, and Batten contested Harlow
for UKIP: both again secured only a few hundred votes. Batten was elected as a UKIP Member of the European Parliament
for London
in 2004.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Barking
Barking (UK Parliament constituency)
Barking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, usually with strong majorities.- Boundaries :The...
Jo Richardson
Jo Richardson
Josephine Richardson was a British Labour Party politician. At the time of her death she was Member of Parliament for Barking, a post she had held since 1974.-Early life:She was born in Newcastle upon Tyne...
. Richardson had represented the seat since the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, following Tom Driberg.
The seat had been continuously held by Labour since it was created in 1945, and Richardson had retained her seat comfortably at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
with an increased majority of over 6,000. Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge MBE MP, also known as Lady Hodge by virtue of her husband's knighthood, is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Barking since 1994. She was the first Minister for Children in 2003 and was Minister of State for Culture and Tourism at the Department...
, leader of Islington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Islington in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Islington is divided into 16 wards, each electing three councillors...
from 1982 to 1992, was selected as the Labour candidate and was the clear favourite to hold the seat at the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
.
The Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
had taken second place in 1992. John Kennedy, the candidate in 1992, went on to contest (and lose) Halesowen and Rowley Regis in the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, but was not selected to fight the 1994 by-election, the Conservative nomination going instead to Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
. She had been a councillor in the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
from 1986 to 1994, and had stood (and lost) in the safe Labour seat of North West Durham in 1992. Having lost two of the three previous by-elections of the Parliament to the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, and failing to challenge Labour in the third, the Conservatives were not hopeful of gaining ground.
The Liberal Democrat candidate, Steve Churchman, had taken little more than a tenth of the votes cast in 1992, continuing a downward track since 1983. A new candidate, Gary White, was chosen for the by-election.
Three other candidates stood: Gary Needs of the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
, Gerard Batten
Gerard Batten
Gerard Joseph Batten is a Member of the European Parliament for London for the United Kingdom Independence Party . He was first elected in 2004. He sits as a member of the Independence and Democracy Group....
of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and H. R. Butensky of the Natural Law Party
Natural Law Party
The Natural Law Party was a transnational party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was active in up to 74 countries, and ran candidates in at least ten. Founded in 1992, it was mostly disbanded in 2004 but continues in India and in some U.S. states.The NLP viewed "natural law" as...
.
Results
As expected, Hodge won the seat easily, with the Labour majority almost doubling, despite a turnout below 40%. The Liberal Democrats share of the votes declined slightly, but they still managed to push the Conservatives into third place, as they had a month before in RotherhamRotherham by-election, 1994
The Rotherham by-election was held on 5 May 1994, following the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament for Rotherham Jimmy Boyce.Boyce had won the seat only at the 1992 general election, but it had been continuously held by Labour since 1933, usually with a large majority...
. The other three candidates all lost their deposits.
At the 1997 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Hodge retained the seat with an increased majority. May went on to be elected as MP for Maidenhead
Maidenhead (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidenhead is a county constituency in Berkshire which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system...
in 1997. Two other candidates in Barking in 1994 also stood in 1997: Needs contested Devon East for the National Democrats
National Democrats (UK)
By the beginning of 2002 the party had ceased political activity. It continued as a pressure group under the name Campaign for National Democracy until 2008; the party officially ceased to exist after the death of its leader at the beginning of 2011....
, and Batten contested Harlow
Harlow (UK Parliament constituency)
Harlow is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
for UKIP: both again secured only a few hundred votes. Batten was elected as a UKIP Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 2004.
See also
- Barking (UK Parliament constituency)Barking (UK Parliament constituency)Barking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its creation in 1945, usually with strong majorities.- Boundaries :The...
- BarkingBarkingBarking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- By-electionBy-electionA by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....