1997 Uxbridge by-election: Difference between revisions
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http:// |
*[http://by-elections.co.uk/uxbridge97.html British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election] |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Revision as of 11:30, 24 July 2009
The Uxbridge by-election, 1997 was held after the Member of Parliament for Uxbridge, London, England, Sir Michael Shersby (Conservative), died unexpectedly on 8 May 1997, just seven days after his being returned in the 1997 UK general election.
The by-election for the vacancy was held on 31 July 1997. The seat previously had seen Shersby win a narrow victory over Labour candidate David Williams in May, but Williams was not selected for the by-election candidate shortlist, as he was seen as too left-wing, and therefore unelectable, even though his supporters argued for the selection for this locally-based politician.[citation needed] The Conservative Party selected John Randall, the Managing Directory of the century-old Randall's Furniture Store in Uxbridge. The Labour Party eventually chose Andy Slaughter, the Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, over the Barrister Willie Bach from Nottinghamshire. Keith Kerr, a senior executive with British Airways, represented the Liberal Democrats.
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. 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 vote fell sharply.
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Randall | 16,288 | 51.1 | +7.6 | |
Labour | Andy Slaughter | 12,522 | 39.3 | −2.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Keith Kerr | 1,792 | 5.6 | −5.4 | |
Monster Raving Loony | Screaming Lord Sutch | 396 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Socialist Alternative | Julia Leonard | 259 | 0.8 | −0.1 | |
BNP | Frances Taylor | 205 | 0.7 | N/A | |
National Democrats | Ian Anderson | 157 | 0.5 | N/A | |
National Front | John McAuley | 110 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Independent Liberal | Henry Middleton | 69 | 0.2 | N/A | |
UKIP | James Feisenberger | 39 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Rainbow Dream Ticket | Ronnie Carroll | 30 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,766 | ||||
Turnout | 55.2 | −16.9 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Michael Shersby | 18,095 | 43.5 | ||
Labour | David Williams | 17,371 | 41.8 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Malyan | 4,528 | 10.9 | ||
Referendum | Garrick Aird | 1,153 | 2.8 | N/A | |
Socialist Alternative | Julia Leonard | 398 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 724 | ||||
Turnout | 72.3 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |