Mid Staffordshire by-election, 1990
Encyclopedia
The Mid Staffordshire
constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament
held a by-election
on 22 March 1990. The result was the election of Labour
candidate Sylvia Heal
to succeed the previous Conservative
Member of Parliament John Heddle
, who had precipitated the byelection by committing suicide
.
when he had gained the Lichfield and Tamworth
constituency from Labour. After boundary changes, he represented Mid Staffordshire from 1983. He was a popular extrovert at Westminster but in the late 1980s he found himself with severe financial problems due to the property price crash, and on 19 December 1989 he was found dead in his Jaguar car in an isolated spot near Chartham
, Kent
. At the previous general election in 1987
the result had been:
; the Conservatives denied rumours that Jeffrey Archer was hoping to stand. On 2 February the Conservatives selected Charles Prior, a 43-year-old chartered accountant from Newbury
who was a former member of Berkshire county council and a member of the Bow Group
. Prior, managing director of a publishing and training company, was the nephew of former Northern Ireland Secretary James Prior
, and beat former MP Richard Ottaway
in the final selection.
would make the final selection. Deputy Leader Roy Hattersley
was in charge of the process. A shortlist was drawn up during January, with some concerns being reported about whether the candidate from the 1987 election, Crispin St Hill, would be on it. St Hill was a black community worker from Brent and previous byelections had seen the party resist selecting black candidates for byelections. He did secure a place on the shortlist but the local party selected Sylvia Heal
, who had made a prominent speech at the 1989 party conference supporting the leadership's change of policy on nuclear disarmament
from unilateral disarmament to a multilateralist
approach. Heal was a social worker and magistrate from Egham
, Surrey
, who had not previously fought an election.
who confirmed on 23 January 1990 that Ian Wood, a 33-year-old solicitor from Lichfield
, would stand for them. The Liberal Democrats, although expecting the SDP to stand, were not pleased because they feared being marginalised if the two parties opposed each other. They chose Tim Jones (aged 38), a barrister who had fought the seat in two previous elections and lived in the constituency in Rugeley.
The Green Party
candidate Robert Saunders was 29 years old and had lost his job as a buyer in an engineering firm at the start of the campaign. Jim Bazeley, a former Mayor of Lichfield and Conservative leader on Lichfield district council
who had fought in 1987 as an Independent Conservative, declared that he would stand again as an 'anti-Thatcher Conservative'. On 6 March the newly formed NHS Supporters Party announced that its candidate would be Dr Christopher Abell, a 34-year-old General practitioner
from East Dereham in Norfolk
; the party had hoped to find a local candidate and blamed the political connections of the chairman of the Staffordshire Family Practitioner Committee, who was also chairman of Mid Staffordshire Conservative Association.
When nominations closed on 8 March there were seven further candidates. Screaming Lord Sutch
of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
, a frequent byelection candidate, was nominated under the name 'Lord David Sutch' after changing his name by deed-poll. He chose the description 'Monster Raving Loony Green Teeth' but was faced with a rival: Stuart Hughes
, who was a member of a breakaway group, stood as a Raving Loony Green Giant Supercalifragilistic
candidate with the assistance of election agent Danny Bamford. John Hill was the candidate of the National Front
while David Black stood as 'Christian Patriotic Alliance Save Britain Campaign' and Nicholas Parker-Jervis stood as 'Against Immigration Conservative Green'.
Lindi St Clair-Love
, nicknamed "Miss Whiplash" and famous for running a brothel in London where she claimed there were many MP clients, stood as the "National Independent Correct Edification - NICE" candidate. She campaigned for 'nicer and more mature European attitudes towards sexuality.' Finally, Bernard 'Smiley' Mildwater, protesting Citroën
's decision to cease production of the 2CV
car, stood as a 'Save the 2CV' candidate. He had resigned from the RAF
to fight the election.
to "take it on the chin" and hold the byelection two days after the budget. The byelection was formally called by Renton moving the writ in the House of Commons
on 28 February.
At the first Labour campaign press conference on 1 March, Roy Hattersley made an outspoken personal attack on Mrs Thatcher for being "arrogant, autocratic and unscrupulous in the pursuit of power", and claimed the main issue of the campaign would be the new local government Community Charge
or 'Poll Tax' which was shortly to come into effect. Charles Prior supported the principle of the new tax and blamed the Labour controlled Staffordshire
county council and Cannock Chase district
council for higher than expected tax levels in Rugeley
. When he launched his campaign together with his uncle, Prior visited an old people's home in Rugeley and was reportedly delighted to find may residents agreed with his view; his uncle attacked the Labour alternative tax while expecting that the Government's scheme would eventually be altered. Labour also attempted to focus on the Conservative proposals for the National Health Service
, challenging Prior to say whether he supported them and the rise in prescription charges.
commissioned an opinion poll from Mori in the constituency which was published on 4 March. It found that Labour was leading with 50%, the Conservatives had 36% support, and the other parties were trailing: Liberal Democrats 5%, SDP 4% and Green Party 4%. The poll also found that four out of five voters thought the poll tax was the main issue in the election. Labour downplayed the poll. Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown
highlighted the fact that their candidate, alone among the main parties, was local and had not been "chosen in London and parachuted in". He believed Labour's alternative local government 'roof tax' was ridiculous and that his own party's proposal of a local income tax would win votes.
A second poll undertaken by the Birmingham Post
was published on 8 March. It also showed a Labour lead, although narrower with Labour at 49% and the Conservatives at 41%. The Green Party and Social Democrat were put at 4% and the Liberal Democrats 2%. On the day it was published the Shadow Chancellor
John Smith distanced the party from violent protests against the poll tax but doubted that the Militant tendency
(whom the Conservatives were blaming for poll tax disruption) could be behind peaceful protests in places like Barnet
and Windsor and Maidenhead
. Militant set up public meetings in Rugeley and Lichfield to oppose the poll tax and distributed flyers advertising the All Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation
rally in London planned for 31 March; in reaction Labour rushed out a leaflet based on a speech by party leader Neil Kinnock
denouncing 'toytown revolutionaries'. The Conservatives denounced 'rent-a-mob Militants' but pointed to the Labour MPs who had declared that they would refuse to pay the poll tax, demanding that Kinnock remove the party whip
.
visited on 11 March to assist the Green Party campaign, prompting an attack on the party by the Liberal Democrats who claimed their solution for every problem was to set up a committee. On 12 March the Conservative campaign had to explain that invitations to join the campaign had been sent by the candidate's minder Gerald Howarth
to nearly every Conservative MP but had not yet been delivered to former Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine
, who was unofficially known to be keen to challenge Mrs Thatcher's leadership. Charles Prior was reported to look 'flustered' but insisted that Heseltine would be a tremendous asset if he came to the constituency. Heseltine arrived on 14 March, drawing a far greater number of Conservative activists than had campaigned with Cecil Parkinson
three nights previously.
. Heal held no public meetings and the morning press conferences were limited to 20 minutes (with senior party figures often replying rather than Heal); most of her campaign was conducted on personal appearances in pubs and clubs and 'Red Rose Rallies'. The other parties were angered by this approach, with Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown denouncing the way Sylvia Heal was "packaged and handled .. as if she was some Walworth Road barbie woman", and that her leaflets said nothing about her ideas or Labour policies. After initially implying that Heal was a 'birdbrain', the Conservatives switched to claiming her control by the party was done in order to conceal Labour policies. The Daily Mail
sent a reporter armed with a long list of questions to try to get answers from Heal, but her minder Peter Snape
determined to stop him. The Conservatives noted that at the 1989 Labour Party conference Heal had supported a motion to cut defence spending by £5 billion.
A further Birmingham Post poll on 15 March showed an increased Labour lead with Labour on 50%, the Conservatives on 38%, the Green Party and SDP on 4%, Liberal Democrats on 3% and Independents at 1%, while polls in the Daily Telegraph
and the Daily Mail
put the Labour lead at 20% and 25% respectively. Charles Prior responded to poor polls by issuing a warning that a Labour win in the byelection would damage the Pound
. Labour leader Neil Kinnock
visited the campaign in Lichfield on 16 March, forecasting victory which he said would be a notice to quit for Mrs Thatcher.
The Guardian
reporter Ian Aitken
found the Liberal Democrat campaign a 'pale shadow' of those run by its former campaign director Andy Ellis. However the party held off Labour to retain a local council seat in Western Springs ward, part of Rugeley, on 14 March. A poll by Mori for The Times
published on 19 March showed that the poll tax was identified by 88% of voters as one of the three most important issues. The only other issues scoring significantly were mortgage and interest rates and the National Health Service, which each had 31%. Voting intentions were Labour 55%, Conservatives 29%, Liberal Democrats 9%, Green Party 3%, SDP 2% and Others 2%.
. The Budget, two days before polling day, announced help to poll tax rebates and was praised by Charles Prior as "a highly responsible yet imaginative Budget". However Prior's relaxed manner in the last week of the campaign was taken by The Times correspondent as an indication that he knew the election was lost and hoped instead to regain the seat at the following general election. The Guardians Patrick Wintour thought that one of Prior's faults was being too nice, and too rarely giving "the impression of a man willing to go for the jugular".
As the campaign ended Sylvia Heal allowed herself to be "somewhat optimistic" and concentrated on appealing to their supporters against complacency. The party claimed its canvass had shown more than 50% support, and Roy Hattersley appealed for a resounding Labour victory to force changes in the poll tax.
, gave Labour 50%, Conservatives 32% and Liberal Democrats 11%, while NOP for the BBC found Labour on 51%, the Conservatives 32% and the Liberal Democrats 10%. Labour were so confident of winning that a champagne celebration was held for the benefit of news photographers who would have deadlines long before the result was declared. It was 3:30 AM before the Returning Officer announced the actual result.
Mid Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Staffordshire was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997.It covered a swathe of territory across the centre of Staffordshire, stretching from Lichfield and Rugeley in the south to Stone in the north....
constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
held a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on 22 March 1990. The result was the election 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...
candidate Sylvia Heal
Sylvia Heal
Sylvia Lloyd Heal is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis from 1997 to 2010, having previously been the MP for Mid Staffordshire from 1990 to 1992...
to succeed the previous 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...
Member of Parliament John Heddle
John Heddle
Bentley John Heddle , known as John Heddle, was a British Conservative Party politician.Heddle was Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth from 1979 to 1983, and for Mid Staffordshire from 1983 until his death in 1989 at the age of 46...
, who had precipitated the byelection by committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Background
John Heddle was first elected to Parliament in the 1979 general electionUnited 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...
when he had gained the Lichfield and Tamworth
Lichfield and Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Lichfield and Tamworth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Lichfield and Tamworth in Staffordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was...
constituency from Labour. After boundary changes, he represented Mid Staffordshire from 1983. He was a popular extrovert at Westminster but in the late 1980s he found himself with severe financial problems due to the property price crash, and on 19 December 1989 he was found dead in his Jaguar car in an isolated spot near Chartham
Chartham
Chartham is a village and civil parish in Kent, west of Canterbury.It is located on the Great Stour river which provided power for the paper mills up until some point before 1955. The name literally means ‘Village on rough ground’, and the word "Chart" is also found in other villages in Kent with...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. At the previous general election in 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
the result had been:
| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General election, June 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... Electorate 71,252 Turnout 79.4% |
Conservative hold Majority 14,654 (25.9%) |
Bentley John Heddle John Heddle Bentley John Heddle , known as John Heddle, was a British Conservative Party politician.Heddle was Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth from 1979 to 1983, and for Mid Staffordshire from 1983 until his death in 1989 at the age of 46... |
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... |
28,644 | 50.6 | ||
| Crispin Riviere St. Hill | 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... |
13,990 | 24.7 | ||||
| Timothy Arthur Jones | Liberal 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... |
13,114 | 23.2 | ||||
| James Gordon Bazeley | Independent Conservative | 836 | 1.5 |
Conservative
Reports in the press indicated that the local Conservative Association was reported to be in 'some disarray' at the start of the byelection campaign; an experienced agent was sent up from London to run the campaign. The party received 250 applications to stand as candidate, among whom were said to be Lady Olga MaitlandLady Olga Maitland
Lady Helen Olga Hay , better known as Lady Olga Maitland, is a former British Conservative politician.-Family and education:The daughter of Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale, she was educated at St. Mary and St...
; the Conservatives denied rumours that Jeffrey Archer was hoping to stand. On 2 February the Conservatives selected Charles Prior, a 43-year-old chartered accountant from Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
who was a former member of Berkshire county council and a member of the Bow Group
Bow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
. Prior, managing director of a publishing and training company, was the nephew of former Northern Ireland Secretary James Prior
James Prior, Baron Prior
James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, PC, known as "Jim Prior" , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Member of Parliament from 1959 to 1987, representing the constituency of Lowestoft from 1959 to 1983 and the renamed constituency of Waveney from 1983 to 1987...
, and beat former MP Richard Ottaway
Richard Ottaway
Richard Geoffrey James Ottaway is a British Conservative politician, and Member of Parliament for Croydon South.-Early life:...
in the final selection.
Labour
Following criticism of Labour candidates for previous byelections, the party had set up a panel of five senior members to draw up shortlist of approved candidates, from which the local Constituency Labour PartyConstituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
would make the final selection. Deputy Leader Roy Hattersley
Roy Hattersley
Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...
was in charge of the process. A shortlist was drawn up during January, with some concerns being reported about whether the candidate from the 1987 election, Crispin St Hill, would be on it. St Hill was a black community worker from Brent and previous byelections had seen the party resist selecting black candidates for byelections. He did secure a place on the shortlist but the local party selected Sylvia Heal
Sylvia Heal
Sylvia Lloyd Heal is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis from 1997 to 2010, having previously been the MP for Mid Staffordshire from 1990 to 1992...
, who had made a prominent speech at the 1989 party conference supporting the leadership's change of policy on nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
from unilateral disarmament to a multilateralist
Multilateralism
Multilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature...
approach. Heal was a social worker and magistrate from Egham
Egham
Egham is a wealthy suburb in the Runnymede borough of Surrey, in the south-east of England. It is part of the London commuter belt and Greater London Urban Area, and about south-west of central London on the River Thames and near junction 13 of the M25 motorway.-Demographics:Egham town has a...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, who had not previously fought an election.
Other parties
The first party to announce a candidate was the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK, 1988)
A Social Democratic Party was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament : Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four"....
who confirmed on 23 January 1990 that Ian Wood, a 33-year-old solicitor from Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, would stand for them. The Liberal Democrats, although expecting the SDP to stand, were not pleased because they feared being marginalised if the two parties opposed each other. They chose Tim Jones (aged 38), a barrister who had fought the seat in two previous elections and lived in the constituency in Rugeley.
The Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
candidate Robert Saunders was 29 years old and had lost his job as a buyer in an engineering firm at the start of the campaign. Jim Bazeley, a former Mayor of Lichfield and Conservative leader on Lichfield district council
Lichfield (district)
Lichfield is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km² Lichfield civil parish...
who had fought in 1987 as an Independent Conservative, declared that he would stand again as an 'anti-Thatcher Conservative'. On 6 March the newly formed NHS Supporters Party announced that its candidate would be Dr Christopher Abell, a 34-year-old General practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
from East Dereham in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
; the party had hoped to find a local candidate and blamed the political connections of the chairman of the Staffordshire Family Practitioner Committee, who was also chairman of Mid Staffordshire Conservative Association.
When nominations closed on 8 March there were seven further candidates. Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
, a frequent byelection candidate, was nominated under the name 'Lord David Sutch' after changing his name by deed-poll. He chose the description 'Monster Raving Loony Green Teeth' but was faced with a rival: Stuart Hughes
Stuart Hughes (politician)
Stuart Hughes is an English politician representing voters at all three levels of local government in Devon, in the West of England. He represents Sidford as a councillor on East Devon District Council and on Devon County Council, where he is currently Cabinet member for Highways and Transportation...
, who was a member of a breakaway group, stood as a Raving Loony Green Giant Supercalifragilistic
Raving Loony Green Giant Party
The Raving Loony Green Giant Party was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1989 by former members of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party after clashes between them and other members of the party over direction and party activities - in particular with regard to how the...
candidate with the assistance of election agent Danny Bamford. John Hill was the candidate 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 ....
while David Black stood as 'Christian Patriotic Alliance Save Britain Campaign' and Nicholas Parker-Jervis stood as 'Against Immigration Conservative Green'.
Lindi St Clair-Love
Lindi St Clair
Lindi St Clair is an author, leader of the Corrective Party, and campaigner for prostitutes' rights.Formerly Britain's most famous 20th Century prostitute but now retired and confirmed as a Christian, St Clair achieved recognition when she accused the Inland Revenue in the High Court of England...
, nicknamed "Miss Whiplash" and famous for running a brothel in London where she claimed there were many MP clients, stood as the "National Independent Correct Edification - NICE" candidate. She campaigned for 'nicer and more mature European attitudes towards sexuality.' Finally, Bernard 'Smiley' Mildwater, protesting Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
's decision to cease production of the 2CV
Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV |tax horsepower]]”) was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1948 and 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer...
car, stood as a 'Save the 2CV' candidate. He had resigned from the RAF
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...
to fight the election.
Campaign
Polling day was inevitably going to come around the time of the budget, which had been set for 20 March, and initially it was expected that it would be timed to take place before the budget. However Mrs Thatcher decided, in conjunction with Conservative Party chairman Kenneth Baker and Chief Whip Tim RentonTim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry
Ronald Timothy Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, PC , is a British Conservative Party politician. He served as a Minister of State in both the Foreign Office and the Home Office, and as a Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. He was promoted to the Cabinet serving as Margaret Thatcher's Chief...
to "take it on the chin" and hold the byelection two days after the budget. The byelection was formally called by Renton moving the writ 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...
on 28 February.
At the first Labour campaign press conference on 1 March, Roy Hattersley made an outspoken personal attack on Mrs Thatcher for being "arrogant, autocratic and unscrupulous in the pursuit of power", and claimed the main issue of the campaign would be the new local government Community Charge
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
or 'Poll Tax' which was shortly to come into effect. Charles Prior supported the principle of the new tax and blamed the Labour controlled Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
county council and Cannock Chase district
Cannock Chase (district)
Cannock Chase is a local government district in England. It covers a large part of Cannock Chase forest and the towns of Cannock, Rugeley and Hednesford.There are several parish and town councils in the district:* Rugeley* Hednesford...
council for higher than expected tax levels in Rugeley
Rugeley
Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter...
. When he launched his campaign together with his uncle, Prior visited an old people's home in Rugeley and was reportedly delighted to find may residents agreed with his view; his uncle attacked the Labour alternative tax while expecting that the Government's scheme would eventually be altered. Labour also attempted to focus on the Conservative proposals for the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
, challenging Prior to say whether he supported them and the rise in prescription charges.
Opinion polling
The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
commissioned an opinion poll from Mori in the constituency which was published on 4 March. It found that Labour was leading with 50%, the Conservatives had 36% support, and the other parties were trailing: Liberal Democrats 5%, SDP 4% and Green Party 4%. The poll also found that four out of five voters thought the poll tax was the main issue in the election. Labour downplayed the poll. Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
highlighted the fact that their candidate, alone among the main parties, was local and had not been "chosen in London and parachuted in". He believed Labour's alternative local government 'roof tax' was ridiculous and that his own party's proposal of a local income tax would win votes.
A second poll undertaken by the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
was published on 8 March. It also showed a Labour lead, although narrower with Labour at 49% and the Conservatives at 41%. The Green Party and Social Democrat were put at 4% and the Liberal Democrats 2%. On the day it was published the Shadow Chancellor
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is in the gift of the Leader of the Opposition but is informal. The Shadow Chancellor has no constitutional...
John Smith distanced the party from violent protests against the poll tax but doubted that the Militant tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
(whom the Conservatives were blaming for poll tax disruption) could be behind peaceful protests in places like Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
and Windsor and Maidenhead
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998.It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland and Ascot Racecourse....
. Militant set up public meetings in Rugeley and Lichfield to oppose the poll tax and distributed flyers advertising the All Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation
Poll Tax Riots
The UK Poll Tax Riots were a series of mass disturbances, or riots, in British towns and cities during protests against the Community Charge , introduced by the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
rally in London planned for 31 March; in reaction Labour rushed out a leaflet based on a speech by party leader Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
denouncing 'toytown revolutionaries'. The Conservatives denounced 'rent-a-mob Militants' but pointed to the Labour MPs who had declared that they would refuse to pay the poll tax, demanding that Kinnock remove the party whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
.
Michael Heseltine
Labour noted that Staffordshire police's budget for vehicle replacement had been cut by £1m which meant that the force could not update its motorway patrol cars although they had done 250,000 miles and were on their second engines. David IckeDavid Icke
David Vaughan Icke is an English writer and public speaker, best known for his views on what he calls "who and what is really controlling the world." Describing himself as the most controversial speaker in the world, he has written 18 books explaining his position, and has attracted a substantial...
visited on 11 March to assist the Green Party campaign, prompting an attack on the party by the Liberal Democrats who claimed their solution for every problem was to set up a committee. On 12 March the Conservative campaign had to explain that invitations to join the campaign had been sent by the candidate's minder Gerald Howarth
Gerald Howarth
James Gerald Douglas Howarth known as Gerald Howarth is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Aldershot since 1997, having been the MP for Cannock and Burntwood from 1983 to 1992....
to nearly every Conservative MP but had not yet been delivered to former Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
, who was unofficially known to be keen to challenge Mrs Thatcher's leadership. Charles Prior was reported to look 'flustered' but insisted that Heseltine would be a tremendous asset if he came to the constituency. Heseltine arrived on 14 March, drawing a far greater number of Conservative activists than had campaigned with Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, PC , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet Minister.-Early life:...
three nights previously.
Labour campaign
The Labour campaign was very tightly controlled by the party officials, under the director of communications Peter MandelsonPeter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
. Heal held no public meetings and the morning press conferences were limited to 20 minutes (with senior party figures often replying rather than Heal); most of her campaign was conducted on personal appearances in pubs and clubs and 'Red Rose Rallies'. The other parties were angered by this approach, with Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown denouncing the way Sylvia Heal was "packaged and handled .. as if she was some Walworth Road barbie woman", and that her leaflets said nothing about her ideas or Labour policies. After initially implying that Heal was a 'birdbrain', the Conservatives switched to claiming her control by the party was done in order to conceal Labour policies. The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
sent a reporter armed with a long list of questions to try to get answers from Heal, but her minder Peter Snape
Peter Snape, Baron Snape
Peter Charles Snape, Baron Snape is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East until he stood down in the 2001 election...
determined to stop him. The Conservatives noted that at the 1989 Labour Party conference Heal had supported a motion to cut defence spending by £5 billion.
A further Birmingham Post poll on 15 March showed an increased Labour lead with Labour on 50%, the Conservatives on 38%, the Green Party and SDP on 4%, Liberal Democrats on 3% and Independents at 1%, while polls in the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
put the Labour lead at 20% and 25% respectively. Charles Prior responded to poor polls by issuing a warning that a Labour win in the byelection would damage the Pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
. Labour leader Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
visited the campaign in Lichfield on 16 March, forecasting victory which he said would be a notice to quit for Mrs Thatcher.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reporter Ian Aitken
Ian Aitken
Ian Aitken is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at the King Alfred School, Hampstead, Lincoln College, Oxford and the LSE. He served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1945-48....
found the Liberal Democrat campaign a 'pale shadow' of those run by its former campaign director Andy Ellis. However the party held off Labour to retain a local council seat in Western Springs ward, part of Rugeley, on 14 March. A poll by Mori for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
published on 19 March showed that the poll tax was identified by 88% of voters as one of the three most important issues. The only other issues scoring significantly were mortgage and interest rates and the National Health Service, which each had 31%. Voting intentions were Labour 55%, Conservatives 29%, Liberal Democrats 9%, Green Party 3%, SDP 2% and Others 2%.
Budget reaction
A protest meeting was organised in the constituency by Staffordshire Police Federation on 19 March, to protest at changes to police housing allowances which they accused the Government of having imposed despite an agreement to abide by arbitration; the organisers invited Labour police spokesperson Barry SheermanBarry Sheerman
Barry John Sheerman is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield since the 1979 general election.-Early life:...
. The Budget, two days before polling day, announced help to poll tax rebates and was praised by Charles Prior as "a highly responsible yet imaginative Budget". However Prior's relaxed manner in the last week of the campaign was taken by The Times correspondent as an indication that he knew the election was lost and hoped instead to regain the seat at the following general election. The Guardians Patrick Wintour thought that one of Prior's faults was being too nice, and too rarely giving "the impression of a man willing to go for the jugular".
As the campaign ended Sylvia Heal allowed herself to be "somewhat optimistic" and concentrated on appealing to their supporters against complacency. The party claimed its canvass had shown more than 50% support, and Roy Hattersley appealed for a resounding Labour victory to force changes in the poll tax.
Results
Shortly after voting ended, two exit polls conducted for broadcasters found that Labour was on course for victory. Harris, for ITNIndependent Television News
ITN is a news and content provider with headquarters in the United Kingdom. It is made up of four key businesses: ITN News, ITN Source, ITN Productions and ITN Consulting. The ITN logotype can be displayed in any of 4 different colours, each of which represents a business unit. This is the...
, gave Labour 50%, Conservatives 32% and Liberal Democrats 11%, while NOP for the BBC found Labour on 51%, the Conservatives 32% and the Liberal Democrats 10%. Labour were so confident of winning that a champagne celebration was held for the benefit of news photographers who would have deadlines long before the result was declared. It was 3:30 AM before the Returning Officer announced the actual result.
| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byelection, 22 March 1990 Electorate 72,728 Turnout 77.5% |
Labour gain Majority 9,449 (16.8%) |
Sylvia Lloyd Heal Sylvia Heal Sylvia Lloyd Heal is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis from 1997 to 2010, having previously been the MP for Mid Staffordshire from 1990 to 1992... |
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... |
27,649 | 49.1 | ||
| Charles Campbell Leathes Prior | 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... |
18,200 | 32.3 | ||||
| Timothy Arthur Jones | 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... |
6,315 | 11.2 | ||||
| Ian William Wood | Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988) A Social Democratic Party was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament : Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four".... |
1,422 | 2.5 | ||||
| Robert Thomas Couper Saunders | Green Party Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including... |
1,215 | 2.2 | ||||
| James Gordon Bazeley | Anti-Thatcher Conservative | 547 | 1.0 | ||||
| Lord David Sutch Screaming Lord Sutch David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom... |
Monster Raving Loony Green Teeth Party Official Monster Raving Loony Party The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:... |
336 | 0.6 | ||||
| Christopher Jonathan George Hill | 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 .... |
311 | 0.6 | ||||
| Dr Christopher Adrian Abell | NHS Supporters Party | 102 | 0.2 | ||||
| Nicholas Parker-Jervis | Against Immigration Conservative Green | 71 | 0.1 | ||||
| Stuart Basil Fawlty Hughes Stuart Hughes (politician) Stuart Hughes is an English politician representing voters at all three levels of local government in Devon, in the West of England. He represents Sidford as a councillor on East Devon District Council and on Devon County Council, where he is currently Cabinet member for Highways and Transportation... |
Raving Loony Green Giant Supercalafragalistic Party Raving Loony Green Giant Party The Raving Loony Green Giant Party was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1989 by former members of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party after clashes between them and other members of the party over direction and party activities - in particular with regard to how the... |
59 | 0.1 | ||||
| Lindi St Clair Love Lindi St Clair Lindi St Clair is an author, leader of the Corrective Party, and campaigner for prostitutes' rights.Formerly Britain's most famous 20th Century prostitute but now retired and confirmed as a Christian, St Clair achieved recognition when she accused the Inland Revenue in the High Court of England... |
National Independent Correct Edification (NICE) | 51 | 0.1 | ||||
| Bernard Robert A. Mildwater | Save the 2CV | 42 | 0.1 | ||||
| David Michael Black | Christian Patriotic Alliance - Save Britain Campaign | 39 | 0.1 |