Ashfield by-election, 1977

Last updated
Ashfield constituency
AshfieldConstituency.svg
EnglandNottinghamshire.svg
Ashfield shown within Nottinghamshire, and Nottinghamshire shown within England

The Ashfield by-election was held on 28 April 1977 in the Ashfield constituency in the coal mining area of Nottinghamshire, following the resignation of Labour Member of Parliament David Marquand. Conservative candidate Tim Smith was the narrow winner in what was thought to have been a very safe Labour seat.

By-elections, also spelled bye-elections, are used to fill elected offices that have become vacant between general elections.

Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

Ashfield is a Nottinghamshire constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gloria De Piero of the Labour Party.

Coal mining process of getting coal out of the ground

Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and, since the 1880s, has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United Kingdom and South Africa, a coal mine and its structures are a colliery, a coal mine a pit, and the above-ground structures the pit head. In Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine. In the United States, "colliery" has been used to describe a coal mine operation but nowadays the word is not commonly used.

Marquand had resigned to take up a post at the European Commission in Brussels, as an advisor to the United Kingdom's newly appointed Commissioner Roy Jenkins. His majority at the October 1974 general election had been 22,915, [1] which made the seat look very safe.

European Commission executive institution of the European Union

The European Commission (EC) is an institution of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. Commissioners swear an oath at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg City, pledging to respect the treaties and to be completely independent in carrying out their duties during their mandate. Unlike in the Council of the European Union, where members are directly and indirectly elected, and the European Parliament, where members are directly elected, the Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of suggestions made by the national governments, and then appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament.

Brussels Capital region of Belgium

Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region. Brussels is the most densely populated and the richest region in Belgium in terms of GDP per capita. It covers 161 km2 (62 sq mi), a relatively small area compared to the two other regions, and has a population of 1.2 million. The metropolitan area of Brussels counts over 2.1 million people, which makes it the largest in Belgium. It is also part of a large conurbation extending towards Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Walloon Brabant, home to over 5 million people.

United Kingdom Country in Europe

The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state‍—‌the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

There was another by-election held on the same day, in Tony Crosland's nearby former seat of Grimsby which looked much more marginal. Crosland had died on 19 February 1977. The Labour Party directed most of its campaign effort into saving Grimsby, believing Ashfield was in no danger. This strategy succeeded in saving Grimsby, but allowed Tim Smith to win by 264 votes [2] (after a recount) over Labour's Michael Cowan.

Great Grimsby (UK Parliament constituency) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

Great Grimsby is a constituency in North East Lincolnshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since May 2015 by Melanie Onn of the Labour Party.

Smith was unable to hold the seat at the 1979 general election, when Labour's Frank Haynes won with a majority of 7,797.

David Francis Haynes was a British politician. A member of the Labour Party, he served at the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashfield from 1979-92.

Results

United Kingdom Parliament: result of Ashfield by-election, 1977 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Tim Smith 19,616 43.1 +20.3
Labour Michael Cowan 19,352 42.5 -20.2
Liberal Hampton Flint 4,380 9.6 -4.7
National Front George Herrod 1,734 3.8
Socialist Workers June Hall 453 1.0
Majority 264 0.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing 20.8

Related Research Articles

1979 United Kingdom general election election for members of the British House of Commons

The 1979 United Kingdom general election was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher, ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats. The election was the first of four consecutive election victories for the Conservative Party, and Thatcher became the United Kingdom's and Europe's first elected female head of government.

1987 United Kingdom general election election for members of the British House of Commons

The 1987 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The election was the third consecutive general election victory for the Conservative Party, and second landslide under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool in 1820 to lead a party into three successive electoral victories.

October 1974 United Kingdom general election

The October 1974 United Kingdom general election took place on Thursday 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members of the British House of Commons. It was the second general election held that year, and the first year that two general elections were held in a single year since 1910, 64 years earlier. The election resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson winning a narrow majority of just 3 seats.

Anthony Crosland British politician

Charles Anthony Raven Crosland, also known as Tony Crosland or C. A. R. Crosland, was a British Labour Party politician and author. He served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire (1950–55) and later for Great Grimsby (1959–77).

1964 United Kingdom general election general election held on 15 October 1964

The 1964 United Kingdom general election was held on 15 October 1964, five years after the previous election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party, first led by Winston Churchill, had entered power. It resulted in the Conservatives, now led by its fourth leader, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, narrowly losing the election to the Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson, with Labour having an overall majority of four seats. It resulted in Labour ending its thirteen years in opposition and led to Wilson to become, at the time, the youngest Prime Minister in more than 150 years.

2005 United Kingdom local elections

Elections for local government were held in the England and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2005 along with the 2005 general election across the entire United Kingdom. In addition, the Isle of Wight held a local referendum on the issue of a directly elected mayor.

2005 United Kingdom general election election of members to the House of Commons in 2005

The 2005 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 5 May 2005, to elect 646 members to the House of Commons. The Labour Party led by Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, with Blair becoming the only Labour leader beside Harold Wilson to form three majority governments. However, its majority now stood at 66 seats compared to the 160-seat majority it had previously held. As of 2019, it remains the last general election victory for the Labour Party.

Timothy John Smith is a former British Conservative politician.

1982 Beaconsfield by-election

The Beaconsfield by-election, 1982 was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 May 1982 for the British House of Commons constituency of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. It is notable for being the only election Tony Blair lost in his 25-year political career. He was elected to parliament for Sedgefield, County Durham in the following year's general election, became party leader in 1994 and went on to become prime minister with three consecutive general election wins.

The Birmingham Stechford by-election, in Birmingham, on 31 March 1977 was held after Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Roy Jenkins resigned his seat following his appointment as President of the European Commission. A seat that had been solidly Labour since its formation in 1950, it was won by Andrew MacKay of the Conservative Party, before being regained by Labour in 1979. The by-election was noted for the strong performance of the National Front candidate and the presence of two far left candidates.

The Barking by-election was held on 9 June 1994, following the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament for Barking Jo Richardson. Richardson had represented the seat since the February 1974 general election, following Tom Driberg.

The Glasgow Garscadden by-election, 1978 was a parliamentary by-election held on 13 April 1978 for the British House of Commons constituency of Glasgow Garscadden, in the north west periphery of the City of Glasgow.

The by-election for the Great Grimsby took place on 28 April 1977.

1999 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 1999 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

2011 Ashfield District Council election

The 2011 Ashfield District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Ashfield District Council in Nottinghamshire, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.

In the run up to the general election of 2005, several polling organisations carried out opinion polling in regards to voting intention in Great Britain. Results of such polls are displayed below.

2014 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2014 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 22 May 2014 to elect members of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as local elections across the United Kingdom and a European election. One councillor was elected in each of the 17 wards for a four-year term. There are three councillors representing each ward elected on a staggered basis so one third of the councillor seats were up for re-election. The seats had previously been contested in 2010 which was held in conjunction with a general election. The turnout was significantly lower in 2014 than in 2010 which is not unusual when comparing local elections that coincide with general elections to ones that do not. Prior to the election Labour was the largest party in the council with 21 out of 51 seats, 5 seats short of an overall majority. After the election there was no overall control of the council. Labour had 25 seats, only one short of a majority and so Labour continued to operate a minority administration.

2014 North East Lincolnshire Council election

The 2014 North East Lincolnshire Council election took place on 22 May 2014 to elect members of North East Lincolnshire Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. These elections saw UKIP making significant gains largely at the expense of Labour, and stripping them of their majority on the council.

2017 United Kingdom general election in England

The 2017 United Kingdom general election in England was held on Thursday 8 June 2017 across 533 constituencies within England.

References

  1. ↑ UK general election results, October 1974: Aberavon — Banbury at Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources
  2. ↑ "1977 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  3. ↑ David Wood, Political Editor, 'Tory landslide win at Ashfield overthrows 23,000 Labour majority' in The Times of London, issue 59990 dated April 29, 1977, p. 1


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.