1997 Beckenham by-election

A by-election in Beckenham, England, was called in 1997 when the sitting Member of Parliament, Piers Merchant (Conservative), resigned from Parliament on 21 October 1997. The Conservatives held the seat, with Jacqui Lait winning the by-election on 20 November.

Background

Piers Merchant had been under pressure during the May 1997 general election after tabloid newspaper stories about his relationship with a bar hostess whom he had employed as a researcher, but he had denied any impropriety and retained the confidence of his local association. His resignation on 21 October was caused by further newspaper stories which confirmed that his denial had been misleading. He accepted the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

At the by-election, the Conservatives selected Jacqui Lait, who had lost her seat at Hastings in the general election. The Labour candidate, Robert Hughes, was a Bromley Borough Councillor from the constituency and had contested the seat at the general election. The Liberal Democrats also chose their general election candidate Rosemary Vetterlein. As the contest was taking place shortly after a general election, campaigning was somewhat subdued and the Conservatives were successful in retaining the seat with a reduced majority.

Also held on the same day was a by-election at Winchester. This was the last election (general or by-election) that the Referendum Party contested; it wound up soon afterwards.

Results

Beckenham by-election, 1997

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Jacqui Lait	13,162	41.3	−1.2
	Labour	Robert Hughes	11,935	37.4	+4.0
	Liberal Democrats	Rosemary Vetterlein	5,864	18.4	+0.2
	Liberal	Phil Rimmer	330	1.0	−0.3
	National Front	John McAuley	267	0.83	+0.12
	Referendum	Leonard Mead	237	0.8	−2.4
	Independent	John Campion	69	0.2	N/A
	Natural Law	John Small	44	0.1	N/A
Majority			1,227
Turnout			31,908	43.1	−31.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1997: Beckenham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Piers Merchant	23,084	42.5
	Labour	Robert Hughes	18,131	33.4
	Liberal Democrats	Rosemary Vetterlein	9,858	18.1
	Referendum	Leonard Mead	1,663	3.1
	Liberal	Phil Rimmer	720	1.3
	UKIP	Christopher Pratt	506	0.9
	National Front	John McAuley	388	0.71	N/A
Majority			4,953
Turnout			54,350	74.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

External links

• British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election