Southampton Itchen by-election, 1971
Encyclopedia
The Southampton Itchen by-election
of 27 May 1971 was held after the Speaker of the British House of Commons
and Member of Parliament
(MP) Horace King retired. The seat was gained by the Labour Party
(although King had initially sat as a Labour MP). The by-election was noted for the strong performance of the far right
National Democratic Party
, who had developed a following in the constituency.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
of 27 May 1971 was held after the Speaker of the British House of Commons
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...
and 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) Horace King retired. The seat was gained by 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...
(although King had initially sat as a Labour MP). The by-election was noted for the strong performance of the 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...
National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (UK, 1966)
The National Democratic Party was a right wing political party that operated in the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. The NDP sought to poisition itself as an early rival to the National Front although ultimately it failed to challenege the position of this group.-Background:The NDP had...
, who had developed a following in the constituency.