Brighouse and Spenborough by-election, 1960
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Brighouse and Spenborough
on 17th March 1960. The seat became vacant following the death on 23 November 1959 of the Labour Party
Member of Parliament
Lewis John Edwards, who had held the seat since a by-election in 1950
, but whose majority had been cut to only 47 votes at the 1959 general election
.
The result was a narrow gain for the Conservative
and National Liberal
candidate, Michael Shaw
, who had been the defeated candidate in 1959. However, Colin Jackson
(the Labour candidate at the by-election) would go on to regain the seat for his party at the 1964 general election
.
This was the first seat gained by an incumbent government at a by-election since the Sunderland South by-election, 1953. Other than the special circumstances of the Bristol South-East by-election, 1961, awarded to the Conservatives by an Election Court, this feat was not repeated until the Mitcham and Morden by-election, 1982
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was held for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Brighouse and Spenborough
Brighouse and Spenborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Brighouse and Spenborough was a parliamentary constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire, comprising the areas of the two municipal boroughs of Brighouse and Spenborough...
on 17th March 1960. The seat became vacant following the death on 23 November 1959 of the Labour Party
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,...
Lewis John Edwards, who had held the seat since a by-election in 1950
Brighouse and Spenborough by-election, 1950
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons in the marginal constituency of Brighouse and Spenborough on 4 May 1950. The seat became vacant following the death of Member of Parliament Frederick Arthur Cobb....
, but whose majority had been cut to only 47 votes at the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
.
The result was a narrow gain for the Conservative
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...
and National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
candidate, Michael Shaw
Michael Shaw, Baron Shaw of Northstead
Michael Norman Shaw, Baron Shaw of Northstead is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1960 to 1964 and from 1966 to 1992....
, who had been the defeated candidate in 1959. However, Colin Jackson
Colin Jackson (UK politician)
George Colin Jackson was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, lecturer and writer.He was twice Member of Parliament for the marginal constituency of Brighouse and Spenborough, in West Yorkshire...
(the Labour candidate at the by-election) would go on to regain the seat for his party at the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
.
This was the first seat gained by an incumbent government at a by-election since the Sunderland South by-election, 1953. Other than the special circumstances of the Bristol South-East by-election, 1961, awarded to the Conservatives by an Election Court, this feat was not repeated until the Mitcham and Morden by-election, 1982
Mitcham and Morden by-election, 1982
-Overview:The British by-election was caused by the resignation of Bruce Douglas-Mann, the Member of Parliament for Mitcham and Morden. Douglas-Mann had retained the seat for the Labour Party since its creation for the February 1974 general election...
.
See also
- Brighouse and Spenborough by-election, 1950Brighouse and Spenborough by-election, 1950A by-election was held for the British House of Commons in the marginal constituency of Brighouse and Spenborough on 4 May 1950. The seat became vacant following the death of Member of Parliament Frederick Arthur Cobb....
- Brighouse and Spenborough (UK Parliament constituency)Brighouse and Spenborough (UK Parliament constituency)Brighouse and Spenborough was a parliamentary constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire, comprising the areas of the two municipal boroughs of Brighouse and Spenborough...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections