Winchester by-election, 1997
Encyclopedia
The 1997 Winchester by-election was a by-election
to the UK House of Commons in the constituency of Winchester, Hampshire
. After an unclear (and extremely close) result in Winchester at the general election on 1 May 1997, a new election was allowed by the High Court. Held on 20 November, the election was won by Mark Oaten
(Liberal Democrat) with a large majority.
, Mark Oaten was originally declared the winner, with a majority of two votes over Conservative
Gerry Malone
, after many recounts and haggling over spoilt ballots.
Oaten was unseated on an electoral petition on 6 October 1997. The High Court held that 54 votes declared void for want of the Official Mark would have changed the result if counted. The court could not be sure they were not the product of a mistake, therefore deemed that the result was uncertain. They allowed the petition and declared the election void. The writ
for the new election was moved on 28 October 1997.
The by-election was held on 20 November and resulted in a clear win by Oaten. Gerry Malone
, the former Conservative MP who had lost his seat in the general election, was criticised as a "poor loser". The Labour Party
obtained their worst ever results in a parliamentary election, in part because they hardly campaigned at all and instead focused their priorities on the by-election in Beckenham held on the same day
. It is presumed that most of the Labour supporters decided to vote Liberal Democrat knowing how unlikely they were to win.
Both the original and rerun election involved an incidence of a candidate using an attempted confusing description. Richard Huggett described himself in the general election
as Liberal Democrat Top Choice For Parliament (leading to Oaten, the official Lib Dem candidate, to use the ballot paper description Liberal Democrat Leader Paddy Ashdown) and in the by-election as Literal Democrat Mark Here to Win. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
put an end to this practice.
This was also the last election (by or general) in which Screaming Lord Sutch
, founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
, ran for a parliamentary seat. He committed suicide in 1999.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to the UK House of Commons in the constituency of Winchester, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. After an unclear (and extremely close) result in Winchester at the general election on 1 May 1997, a new election was allowed by the High Court. Held on 20 November, the election was won by Mark Oaten
Mark Oaten
Mark Oaten is a former British Liberal Democrat politician. He served as the Member of Parliament for Winchester from 1997 to 2010, and was his party's Home Affairs spokesperson from 2003 to 2006...
(Liberal Democrat) with a large majority.
History
At the general election on 1 May 1997United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Mark Oaten was originally declared the winner, with a majority of two votes over 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...
Gerry Malone
Gerry Malone
Peter Gerald "Gerry" Malone MA, LLB is a British Conservative politician who was an MP from 1983–87 and 1992–97.Born in Glasgow, Malone was educated at St Aloysius' College, Glasgow, and the University of Glasgow...
, after many recounts and haggling over spoilt ballots.
Oaten was unseated on an electoral petition on 6 October 1997. The High Court held that 54 votes declared void for want of the Official Mark would have changed the result if counted. The court could not be sure they were not the product of a mistake, therefore deemed that the result was uncertain. They allowed the petition and declared the election void. The writ
Writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office.In the United Kingdom and in Canada, this is the only way of holding an election for the House of Commons...
for the new election was moved on 28 October 1997.
The by-election was held on 20 November and resulted in a clear win by Oaten. Gerry Malone
Gerry Malone
Peter Gerald "Gerry" Malone MA, LLB is a British Conservative politician who was an MP from 1983–87 and 1992–97.Born in Glasgow, Malone was educated at St Aloysius' College, Glasgow, and the University of Glasgow...
, the former Conservative MP who had lost his seat in the general election, was criticised as a "poor loser". 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...
obtained their worst ever results in a parliamentary election, in part because they hardly campaigned at all and instead focused their priorities on the by-election in Beckenham held on the same day
Beckenham by-election, 1997
A by-election in Beckenham, England, was called in 1997 when the sitting Member of Parliament, Piers Merchant , resigned from Parliament on 21 October 1997...
. It is presumed that most of the Labour supporters decided to vote Liberal Democrat knowing how unlikely they were to win.
Both the original and rerun election involved an incidence of a candidate using an attempted confusing description. Richard Huggett described himself in the general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
as Liberal Democrat Top Choice For Parliament (leading to Oaten, the official Lib Dem candidate, to use the ballot paper description Liberal Democrat Leader Paddy Ashdown) and in the by-election as Literal Democrat Mark Here to Win. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 , or An Act to make provision about the registration of political parties was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to set up a register of political parties in the United Kingdom. Previously there had been no such register, and political...
put an end to this practice.
This was also the last election (by or general) in which 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...
, founder 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:...
, ran for a parliamentary seat. He committed suicide in 1999.