Cambridge by-election, 1967
Encyclopedia
The Cambridge
by-election
of 21 September 1967 was held after the premature death of Cambridge's Labour
MP
(MP) Robert Davies in June 1967.:
The seat was highly marginal, having only been won by Labour during the previous year's Labour landslide
by 439 votes, and it had only been the second time Labour had ever taken the constituency. In the ensuing by-election, a large swing to the Conservatives saw their candidate David Lane
win by 5,978 votes.
Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridge 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 voting system....
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
of 21 September 1967 was held after the premature death of Cambridge's Labour
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...
MP
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,...
(MP) Robert Davies in June 1967.:
The seat was highly marginal, having only been won by Labour during the previous year's Labour landslide
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...
by 439 votes, and it had only been the second time Labour had ever taken the constituency. In the ensuing by-election, a large swing to the Conservatives saw their candidate David Lane
David Lane (politician)
David William Stennis Stuart Lane was a British Conservative Party politician.Lane was educated at Eton College, Trinity College, Cambridge and Yale University. He became a barrister, called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1955. From 1956 to 1959 he was secretary of the British Iron and Steel...
win by 5,978 votes.
Candidates
- David LaneDavid Lane (politician)David William Stennis Stuart Lane was a British Conservative Party politician.Lane was educated at Eton College, Trinity College, Cambridge and Yale University. He became a barrister, called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1955. From 1956 to 1959 he was secretary of the British Iron and Steel...
was an EtonEton CollegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Cambridge and YaleYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
-educated former barrister who had been working for Shell Oil since 1959. He was the only candidate to have previously contested the seat, having done so in 1966United Kingdom general election, 1966The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
. - George Scurfield (1920-?) was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, and was a writer and second-hand bookseller. He had been a member of Cambridge City CouncilCambridge City CouncilCambridge City Council may refer to:* Cambridge City Council, England* Cambridge City Council, Massachusetts, USA* Cambridge, Ontario City Council, Canada...
representing Petersfield ward from 1963 to 1966, and he would go on to contest the seat again in 1970United Kingdom general election, 1970The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
. - David Spreckley (1915-?), a caravan builder, was a former Labour member of Huntingdonshire County Council. He had been the LiberalLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate for Great YarmouthGreat Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)Great Yarmouth 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....
in the 1964 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1964The 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...
and HuntingdonHuntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)Huntingdon is a county 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....
in 1966United Kingdom general election, 1966The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
. He would go on to contest the 1969 Newcastle-under-Lyme by-electionNewcastle-under-Lyme by-election, 1969The Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election of October 30, 1969 was caused by the death of Labour MP Stephen Swingler. It was held on the same day as four other by-elections and the seat was retained by Labour.-Results:...
for the Liberals.