1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election

Last updated

1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1983 4 Jul 1985 1987  

Constituency of Brecon and Radnor
Turnout79.4% (Decrease2.svg 0.7%)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Richard Livsey (cropped).jpg
Lab
Con
Candidate Richard Livsey Frederick Willey Chris Butler
Party Liberal Labour Conservative
Popular vote13,75313,19410,631
Percentage35.834.427.7
SwingIncrease2.svg 11.4%Increase2.svg 9.4%Decrease2.svg 20.5

MP before election

Tom Ellis Hooson
Conservative

Subsequent MP

Richard Livsey
Liberal

The 1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 4 July 1985 for the House of Commons constituency of Brecon and Radnor.

Contents

Previous MP

The seat had become vacant on 8 May 1985, when the constituency's Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), Tom Ellis Hooson, had died at the age of 52. He was a cousin of Emlyn Hooson, the former Liberal Party MP for Montgomery.

Tom Hooson had been Brecon and Radnor's MP since the 1979 general election, when he gained the seat from the Labour Party.

Candidates

Seven candidates were nominated. Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey was the candidate of the Liberal Party and represented the SDP–Liberal Alliance. He was a former senior lecturer in farm management, born in 1935, who had become a smallholder. He had contested the seat in the 1983 general election.

(Frederick) Richard Willey, born 1945, was the Labour candidate. He was the son of veteran Labour MP Fred Willey and a member of Radnor District Council. He was a freelance educational researcher and writer.

Christopher John Butler, born 1950, represented the Conservative Party. He was a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Wales and had previously worked at the Conservative Research Department in Wales and the Political Office in 10 Downing Street.

Janet Mary Davies was nominated by Plaid Cymru. She was born in 1938 and was a member of Taff Ely Borough Council.

Frequent election candidate and pop singer Screaming Lord Sutch (otherwise known as David Edward Sutch) represented the Monster Raving Loony Party.

Roger Everest was an Independent candidate who sought election as a One Nation Conservative.

Andre Charles Leopold Genillard was an Independent who campaigned as a Free the World from Multiple Sclerosis candidate. He was a teacher at Mayfield College, Mayfield, and entered the election as an educational exercise for students before electoral deposits substantially increased.

Result

1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Richard Livsey 13,753 35.8 +11.4
Labour Frederick Willey13,19434.4+9.4
Conservative Chris Butler 10,63127.7−20.5
Plaid Cymru Janet Davies 4351.1−0.6
Monster Raving Loony Screaming Lord Sutch 2020.5N/A
One Nation Conservative Roger Everest 1540.4N/A
Independent Andre C. L. Genillard430.1N/A
Majority5591.4N/A
Turnout 38,41279.4−0.7
Registered electors 48,371
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +16.0

Aftermath

Livsey held the seat for the Liberals at the 1987 general election, with a majority of just 56 over the Conservative Jonathan Evans with Labour dropping to third place. [2] This meant that Brecon and Radnor was the only seat that the Conservatives lost at a by-election in the 1983-1987 parliament that they failed to regain at the 1987 election. [3] However at the 1992 general election the Conservatives did regain the seat, although Richard Livsey went on to regain it at the 1997 general election.

Previous result

General election 1983: Brecon and Radnor [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tom Hooson 18,255 48.2 +1.0
Labour David Morris 9,47125.0-15.9
Liberal Richard Livsey 9,22624.4+14.7
Plaid Cymru Sian Meredudd6401.7-0.4
Independent Richard Booth 2780.7N/A
Majority8,78423.2+16.9
Turnout 37,87080.1-4.1
Registered electors 47,277
Conservative hold Swing +8.4

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Williams (British politician)</span> British politician (born 1948)

Roger Hugh Williams, CBE is a Welsh Liberal Democrat politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire from 2001 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Evans (politician)</span> British politician (born 1950)

Jonathan Peter Evans FRSA is a Welsh lawyer, businessman and former politician. He has been Chairman of the British Insurance Brokers Association since 1 January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth</span>

Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire from 1985 to 1992, and again from 1997 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraint Howells</span> Welsh politician (1925–2004)

Geraint Wyn Howells, Baron Geraint was a Welsh politician of the Liberal Party and its successor, the Liberal Democrats. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardigan from 1974 to 1983 and Ceredigion and Pembroke North from 1983 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Glasgow Govan by-election</span>

The Glasgow Govan by-election, for the House of Commons constituency of Glasgow Govan, Scotland, was held on 10 November 1988. It was caused by the resignation of Bruce Millan as Member of Parliament for the constituency following his appointment as a European Commissioner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brecon and Radnorshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

Brecon and Radnorshire is a county constituency in Wales of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1918, it elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election. The constituency is represented by Fay Jones of the Conservative Party, who defeated incumbent Jane Dodds of the Liberal Democrats at the 2019 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyndburn (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Hyndburn is a constituency in Lancashire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Sara Britcliffe of the Conservative Party.

John Leslie Marshall is a British Conservative politician.

Christopher John Butler is a British former Conservative Party politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hooson</span> British politician

Tom Ellis Hooson was a British Conservative Party politician.

Caerwyn Eifion Roderick was a British Labour Party politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnor from 1970 to 1979, when he lost to the Conservative candidate Tom Hooson.

David John Delwyn Williams is a British former Conservative Party politician and solicitor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh Liberal Democrats</span> Welsh branch of the Liberal Democrats

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to December 2019, and MS for Mid and West Wales since May 2021. The party currently has 1 elected member in the Senedd and no Welsh seats in the UK House of Commons, but does have several members of the House of Lords. The party had 69 local councilors serving in principal authorities as of the 2022 local authority elections, up 10 from 2017.

Two Bootle by-elections were held during 1990, for the House of Commons constituency of Bootle in Merseyside.

The 1962 Montgomeryshire by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 15 May 1962 for the British House of Commons constituency of Montgomeryshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election</span>

The 1986 Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 17 July 1986 for the British House of Commons constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The 1939 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, was a parliamentary by-election held on 1 August 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire, in South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Davies (Conservative politician)</span> British politician (born 1967)

Christopher Paul Davies is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire from 2015 to 2019. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election</span> UK parliamentary by-election

A by-election was held in the UK Parliament constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire on 1 August 2019 after Chris Davies, who had held the seat for the Conservatives since the 2015 general election, was unseated by a recall petition. The by-election was won by Jane Dodds of the Liberal Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Jones (politician)</span> British Conservative politician, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire

Fay Alicia Jones is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire since 2019. She is a member of the Conservative Party and a junior government minister.

References

  1. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. The Times Guide to the House of Commons June 1987. London: Times Books Ltd. 1987. p. 60. ISBN   0-7230-0298-3.
  3. The Times Guide to the House of Commons June 1987. London: Times Books Ltd. 1987. p. 238. ISBN   0-7230-0298-3.
  4. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.