Kinross and West Perthshire by-election, 1963
Encyclopedia
The Kinross and West Perthshire by-election of 7 November 1963 was a by-election
to the House of Commons
. It was unique among by-elections since 1918 in that one of the candidates was the sitting Prime Minister
, Sir Alec Douglas-Home
; he had been nominated for the constituency after disclaiming a Peerage
, as he felt he needed to be a member of the Commons rather than the House of Lords
during his premiership. Douglas-Home succeeded in keeping the constituency.
Minister Gilmour Leburn
died while on holiday on 15 August 1963. The constituency of Kinross and West Perthshire, a large rural area at the southern end of the Scottish highlands, was the safest Conservative
seat in Scotland (majority 12,248 in 1959) and a plum seat for any Conservative candidate.
On 11 September, the Executive of Kinross and West Perthshire Unionist Association selected Hon. George Younger
, an heir of the Scottish aristocracy who was 31 and looking to make a start in national politics. On 11 October the required notice was given to the Speaker
of the vacancy (the House being in recess) so that the writ for a new election would be issued. On 17 October the full membership of the Unionist Association adopted Younger as its candidate.
However, the 'emergence' of The Earl of Home
as the new Leader of the Conservative Party and his appointment as Prime Minister on 19 October led to a rapid need to find him a seat in the House of Commons
. Douglas-Home's Scottish ancestry made him look with particular interest at Kinross and West Perthshire (speculation earlier in the week had already linked him with it). On Sunday 20 October, Younger announced his offer to withdraw in favour of Home, an offer which was graciously accepted. Younger was later selected for Ayr
, which he represented from 1964 to 1992. On 23 October, Home executed an instrument of disclaimer under the Peerage Act 1963
, becoming Sir Alec Douglas-Home. The new session of Parliament was delayed to wait for the outcome of the by-election.
The Labour Party
chose Andrew Forrester, a schoolteacher from Glasgow
who was 25 and Chairman of Scotstoun
Young Socialists
. The Liberal Party
nominated Alistair Duncan Millar, who farmed in Perthshire
. The Scottish National Party
leader Arthur Donaldson
, a 62 year old journalist who had fought Dundee
in the 1945 general election
, was also nominated.
With a sitting Prime Minister fighting a byelection, interest was high and three additional candidates stood. Willie Rushton
, the satirist and broadcaster, was put up as an Independent candidate
by Private Eye
magazine. Ian Smith, a 43 year old former Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force
turned garage owner of Callander
, stood as an Independent Unionist. A last-minute candidate appeared in the shape of Richard Wort, a schoolmaster from Wimbledon
who stood as an Independent right-wing candidate; his nomination paper was handed in with 29 minutes to spare.
On the eve of poll, Willie Rushton announced he was retiring from the contest, and endorsed Liberal Party candidate Alistair Duncan Millar, who he thought stood the best chance of defeating Douglas-Home.
, shortly after noon on Friday 8 November. Douglas-Home won with a majority of 9,328, and all but he and the Labour and Liberal candidates forfeited their deposits. He went on to represent the constituency until the October 1974 general election
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to the 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...
. It was unique among by-elections since 1918 in that one of the candidates was the sitting Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
; he had been nominated for the constituency after disclaiming a Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
, as he felt he needed to be a member of the Commons rather than the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
during his premiership. Douglas-Home succeeded in keeping the constituency.
Candidates
The by-election was caused when Scottish OfficeScottish Office
The Scottish Office was a department of the United Kingdom Government from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland...
Minister Gilmour Leburn
Gilmour Leburn
Gilmour Leburn was a British company director and politician. He served in the government of Harold Macmillan as a Minister in the Scottish Office; his sudden death opened the way for Macmillan's successor, Sir Alec Douglas-Home to return to the House of Commons.-Early life:Leburn went to...
died while on holiday on 15 August 1963. The constituency of Kinross and West Perthshire, a large rural area at the southern end of the Scottish highlands, was the safest 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...
seat in Scotland (majority 12,248 in 1959) and a plum seat for any Conservative candidate.
On 11 September, the Executive of Kinross and West Perthshire Unionist Association selected Hon. George Younger
George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie
George Kenneth Hotson Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie KT KCVO TD PC was a British politician and banker....
, an heir of the Scottish aristocracy who was 31 and looking to make a start in national politics. On 11 October the required notice was given to the Speaker
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
of the vacancy (the House being in recess) so that the writ for a new election would be issued. On 17 October the full membership of the Unionist Association adopted Younger as its candidate.
However, the 'emergence' of The Earl of Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
as the new Leader of the Conservative Party and his appointment as Prime Minister on 19 October led to a rapid need to find him a seat in the 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...
. Douglas-Home's Scottish ancestry made him look with particular interest at Kinross and West Perthshire (speculation earlier in the week had already linked him with it). On Sunday 20 October, Younger announced his offer to withdraw in favour of Home, an offer which was graciously accepted. Younger was later selected for Ayr
Ayr (UK Parliament constituency)
Ayr was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- History :...
, which he represented from 1964 to 1992. On 23 October, Home executed an instrument of disclaimer under the Peerage Act 1963
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
, becoming Sir Alec Douglas-Home. The new session of Parliament was delayed to wait for the outcome of the by-election.
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...
chose Andrew Forrester, a schoolteacher from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
who was 25 and Chairman of Scotstoun
Glasgow Scotstoun (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Scotstoun was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...
Young Socialists
Labour Party Young Socialists
The Labour Party Young Socialists was the name of the youth section of the British Labour Party from 1965 until 1993. The LPYS was the most successful of the youth sections of the Labour Party in the post war period, at one point having nearly 600 branches and attendances at its national...
. 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...
nominated Alistair Duncan Millar, who farmed in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. The Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
leader Arthur Donaldson
Arthur Donaldson
Arthur Donaldson was a Scottish politician, and leader of the Scottish National Party from 1960 to 1969.-Early years:...
, a 62 year old journalist who had fought Dundee
Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)
Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....
in the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, was also nominated.
With a sitting Prime Minister fighting a byelection, interest was high and three additional candidates stood. Willie Rushton
Willie Rushton
William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the Private Eye satirical magazine.- School and army :William George Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in the family home at Scarsdale Villas,...
, the satirist and broadcaster, was put up as an Independent candidate
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
by Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
magazine. Ian Smith, a 43 year old former Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
turned garage owner of Callander
Callander
Callander is a burgh in the region of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the former county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands....
, stood as an Independent Unionist. A last-minute candidate appeared in the shape of Richard Wort, a schoolmaster from Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
who stood as an Independent right-wing candidate; his nomination paper was handed in with 29 minutes to spare.
On the eve of poll, Willie Rushton announced he was retiring from the contest, and endorsed Liberal Party candidate Alistair Duncan Millar, who he thought stood the best chance of defeating Douglas-Home.
Result
The result was declared from the County Buildings in PerthPerth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, shortly after noon on Friday 8 November. Douglas-Home won with a majority of 9,328, and all but he and the Labour and Liberal candidates forfeited their deposits. He went on to represent the constituency until the October 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
.
Votes
See also
- Kinross and West Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency)
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950 - 1979)