1965 Leyton by-election

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1965 Leyton by-election
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  1964 21 January 1965 1966  

Constituency of Leyton
Turnout57.7%
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Lib
Candidate Ronald Buxton Patrick Gordon Walker Alistair H. Mackay
Party Conservative Labour Liberal
Popular vote16,54416,3395,382
Percentage42.9%42.4%14.0%
SwingIncrease2.svg 9.4%Decrease2.svg 8.0%Decrease2.svg 2.2%

MP before election

Reginald Sorensen
Labour

Elected MP

Ronald Buxton
Conservative

The 1965 Leyton by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 21 January 1965 for the House of Commons constituency of Leyton in east London.

Contents

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's long-serving Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Reginald Sorensen, was made a life peer on 15 December 1964. An MP for over thirty years, his elevation to the peerage was intended to create a vacancy in a safe seat for the Foreign Secretary, Patrick Gordon Walker, who had been defeated in a shock result in the 1964 general election in his Smethwick constituency.

The result of the contest was not as planned: the Conservative Party candidate, Ronald Buxton, won with a majority of 205 votes, a swing from Labour of 8.7%. Gordon-Walker resigned as Foreign Secretary but regained the seat for Labour at the 1966 general election.

Votes

Leyton by-election, 1965
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ronald Buxton 16,544 42.9 +9.4
Labour Patrick Gordon Walker 16,33942.48.0
Liberal Alistair H Mackay5,38214.02.2
UK & Commonwealth PartyJeremiah Lynch1570.4New
DisarmamentGeorge Delf1560.4New
Majority2050.5N/A
Turnout 38,57857.712.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +8.7

See also

References