1997 Uxbridge by-election

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Uxbridge by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1997 31 July 1997 2001  

Uxbridge parliamentary seat
Turnout55.2% Decrease2.svg17.1%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Official portrait of Lord Randall of Uxbridge.jpg Official portrait of Andy Slaughter MP crop 2.jpg No image.svg
Candidate John Randall Andy Slaughter Keith Kerr
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Popular vote16,28812,5221,792
Percentage51.1%39.3%5.6%
SwingIncrease2.svg7.6%Decrease2.svg2.5%Decrease2.svg5.3%

MP before election

Michael Shersby
Conservative

Subsequent MP

John Randall
Conservative

The 1997 Uxbridge by-election was a parliamentary by-election held in July 1997 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Uxbridge in Greater London, England. The seat was held by the Conservative Party, their first such victory since 1989.

Contents

Background

The vacancy was caused by the death of the Conservative MP Michael Shersby, who died unexpectedly on 8 May 1997, just seven days after his being returned to the House of Commons at the 1997 general election. Although that election saw the end of 18 years of Conservative rule as Labour won by a landslide, Shersby won a narrow victory over Labour Party candidate David Williams.

The by-election was called for Thursday, 31 July 1997 and was the first by-election of the 1997-2001 parliament.

Candidates

David Williams, the Labour general election candidate was not placed on the by-election shortlist, which the BBC reported had "infuriated" some members. [1] Activist Michael Shrimpton was also passed over, leading to his defection to the Conservatives. [2] [3] The Labour Party eventually chose Andy Slaughter, the Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, over the Barrister Willie Bach from Nottinghamshire. The Conservative Party selected John Randall, the Managing Director of the century-old Randall's Furniture Store in Uxbridge.[ citation needed ] Keith Kerr, a senior executive with British Airways, represented the Liberal Democrats. Eight other candidates also stood, including perennial candidates Screaming Lord Sutch and Ronnie Carroll.

Campaign

Labour's concentrated campaign included an unusual visit by Prime Minister Tony Blair. This was unusual in that a sitting Prime Minister does not normally campaign personally in by-elections for fear that a defeat may harm his own political standing. Conservative leader William Hague was the first leader of his party to campaign in a by-election for 20 years.[ citation needed ] The Conservative campaign was criticised by some members for keeping records of how much time would-be future parliamentary candidates had spent in the constituency. [4]

Results and aftermath

In the end, the Conservative candidate was elected by a large majority, gaining over 50% of all votes cast, while the Labour and Liberal Democrat votes both fell. It was the first time the Conservatives held onto a seat at a by-election since the 1989 Richmond by-election (when the candidate was William Hague - who had become leader of the party shortly before the Uxbridge by-election).[ citation needed ]

Randall represented the seat (and its successor, Uxbridge and South Ruislip) until standing down in 2015. [5] Slaughter entered parliament eight years later, winning the seat of Ealing, Acton and Shepherds Bush in 2005. He has represented the Hammersmith constituency since 2010. [6]

Uxbridge by-election, 1997 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Randall 16,288 51.1 +7.6
Labour Andy Slaughter 12,52239.3–2.5
Liberal Democrats Keith Kerr1,7925.6–5.3
Monster Raving Loony Screaming Lord Sutch 3961.3New
Socialist Alternative Julia Leonard2590.8–0.1
BNP Frances Taylor2050.7New
National Democrats Ian Anderson 1570.5New
National Front John McAuley1100.3New
Independent Liberal Henry Middleton690.2New
UKIP James Feisenberger390.1New
Rainbow Dream Ticket Ronnie Carroll 300.1New
Majority 3,76611.8+10.1
Turnout 31,86755.2–16.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1997: Uxbridge
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Shersby 18,095 43.5
Labour David Williams17,37141.8
Liberal Democrats Andrew Malyan4,52810.9
Referendum Garrick Aird1,1532.8New
Socialist Alternative Julia Leonard3981.0New
Majority 7241.7
Turnout 41,54572.3
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Tories hold onto Uxbridge". BBC Politics 97. BBC News. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  2. Copley, Joy (26 July 1997). "Blair hits the campaign trail again". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 September 2003. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  3. "Labour Activist Defects in Uxbridge". BBC News. 25 July 1997. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. "Tories Mark Time as Nominations Close for Uxbridge By-election". BBC Politics 97. BBC News.
  5. "Sir John Randall to step down as Uxbridge MP". Hillingdon Times. Newsquest London & Essex. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  6. "Andy Slaughter MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 June 2015.