Coventry North West by-election, 1976
Encyclopedia
The Coventry North West
by-election
, in Coventry
, on 4 March 1976 was held after the death of Labour
Member of Parliament
(MP) Maurice Edelman
. A safe Labour seat, it was won by Geoffrey Robinson
, who would go on to retain the seat in 1979
.
which had recently split from the National Front
and in the end both parties ran candidates in the election. Although ultimately both finished well off the pace it set a trend for a split far right
vote which would be replicated in the Vauxhall by-election, 1989
and elsewhere.
The Liberal Party
vote fell in this by-election in a development that former leader Jo Grimond blamed in part on scandals surrounding incumbent Jeremy Thorpe
's homosexuality
. Grimond suggested that the result and the allegatons meant that Thorpe "must think of stepping down". Thorpe stood down as Liberal leader two months later.
Coventry North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Coventry North West is a borough constituency in the city of Coventry which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, on 4 March 1976 was held after the death of 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...
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,...
(MP) Maurice Edelman
Maurice Edelman
Maurice Edelman was a British Labour Party politician and novelist who represented Coventry constituencies in the House of Commons for over 30 years.- Early life :...
. A safe Labour seat, it was won by Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Coventry North West since 1976. He was Paymaster General from May 1997 to January 1999, resigning after it was revealed that he had lent his government colleague Peter Mandelson £373,000 to buy a house...
, who would go on to retain the seat in 1979
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
.
Party performance
The by-election represented the first outing for the National PartyNational Party (UK, 1976)
The National Party was a short-lived British far right political party formed on 6 January 1976 and which dissolved before the 1979 general election...
which had recently split from 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 ....
and in the end both parties ran candidates in the election. Although ultimately both finished well off the pace it set a trend for a split far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
vote which would be replicated in the Vauxhall by-election, 1989
Vauxhall by-election, 1989
A by-election for the United Kingdom House of Commons was held in the constituency of Vauxhall on the 15th June 1989, following the resignation of sitting Member of Parliament Stuart Holland....
and elsewhere.
The Liberal Party
Liberal 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...
vote fell in this by-election in a development that former leader Jo Grimond blamed in part on scandals surrounding incumbent Jeremy Thorpe
Jeremy Thorpe
John Jeremy Thorpe is a British former politician who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976 and was the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979. His political career was damaged when an acquaintance, Norman Scott, claimed to have had a love affair with Thorpe at a time...
's homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. Grimond suggested that the result and the allegatons meant that Thorpe "must think of stepping down". Thorpe stood down as Liberal leader two months later.