1965 Leyton by-election

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1965 Leyton by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1964 21 January 1965 1966  

Constituency of Leyton
 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

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