1999 Kensington and Chelsea by-election

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Kensington and Chelsea by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1997 25 November 1999 2001  

Kensington and Chelsea parliamentary seat
Turnout29.7% Decrease2.svg25.0%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Michael Portillo by Regents College cropped.jpg No image.svg No image.svg
Candidate Michael Portillo Robert AtkinsonRobert Woodthorpe Browne
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Popular vote11,0044,2981,831
Percentage56.4%22.0%9.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg2.8%Decrease2.svg5.9%Decrease2.svg5.9%

MP before election

Alan Clark
Conservative

Subsequent MP

Michael Portillo
Conservative

The 1999 Kensington and Chelsea by-election was held on 25 November 1999 after the member of Parliament for the constituency, Alan Clark (Conservative), died of a brain tumour on 5 September 1999.

Contents

This was the first safe Conservative seat to have a by-election in the 1997–2001 UK Parliament. There was immediate speculation that Michael Portillo, the most high-profile casualty of the 1997 general election, would use it to return to frontline politics. Portillo immediately confirmed his interest in the seat, but was then confronted with the publication of an interview he had given previously that summer in which he had confirmed that while at Peterhouse, Cambridge he had had homosexual affairs.

Portillo was selected as Conservative candidate but faced demonstrations organised by gay rights group OutRage! and its principal campaigner Peter Tatchell who protested against his vote for an unequal age of consent for gay and straight sex, and support for the ban on homosexuality in the UK armed forces while Secretary of State for Defence. Tatchell continued to try to confront Portillo throughout the election, not assuaged by Portillo saying that he had changed his mind on the age of consent.

The Labour Party selected Robert Atkinson, who had fought the 1997 election and was a local councillor. The Liberal Democrats also renominated their general election candidate, Robert Woodthorpe Browne. Because of the prominence of the by-election in central London and the big political name, there were a wide variety of fringe and minor party candidates. Polling day was 25 November. Portillo was returned safely to Parliament.

Results

1999 by-election: Kensington and Chelsea [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Portillo 11,004 56.4 +2.8
Labour Robert Atkinson4,29822.0–5.9
Liberal Democrats Robert Woodthorpe Browne1,8319.4–5.9
Pro-Euro Conservative John Stevens 7403.8New
UKIP Damian Hockney 4502.3+0.9
Green Hugo Charlton 4462.3New
Democratic Party The Earl of Burford 1820.9New
Legalise Cannabis Colin Paisley1410.7New
Independent Michael Irwin970.5New
UK Pensioners Party Paul Oliver750.4–0.1
Referendum Stephen Scott-Fawcett570.3New
IndependentLouise Hodges480.3New
Natural Law Gerard 'Ged' Valente350.2–0.1
People's Net Dream Ticket PartyLisa Lovebucket260.1New
EnvironmentalistJohn Davies240.1New
Equal Parenting PartyPeter May240.1New
Monster Raving Loony Howling Laud Hope 200.1New
IndependentTonysamuelsondotcom150.1New
Majority6,70634.4+8.7
Turnout 19,51029.7–25.0
Conservative hold Swing

General Election result, 1997

General election 1997: Kensington and Chelsea
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Clark 19,887 53.6 −14.6
Labour Robert Atkinson10,36827.9+11.3
Liberal Democrats Robert Woodthorpe Browne5,66815.3+2.1
Teddy Bear Alliance Edward Bear 2180.6New
United Kingdom Pensioners Party Paul Oliver1760.5New
Natural Law Susan Hamza1220.3New
Rainbow Dream Ticket Paul Sullivan650.2New
Independent Pete Parliament440.1New
Majority9,51925.7–25.9
Turnout 36,54854.7
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References

  1. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1997-2002 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Retrieved 5 October 2015.