1964 Winchester by-election

The 1964 Winchester by-election was held on 14 May 1964. It was held after the incumbent Conservative MP Peter Smithers was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. It was retained for the Conservative Party by their candidate Morgan Morgan-Giles.

Background

The by-election was one of four (the others being Bury St Edmunds, Devizes and Rutherglen being held on the same day in which the seat was being defended by a candidate supporting the incumbent Conservative government. With a general election due later in the year, the results were anticipated with interest as pointer to what might happen at the election.[1] According to The Glasgow Herald unlike the other three seats, Winchester was expected to be an easy win for the Conservatives, although it was expected that the Conservative majority would be cut.[1]

Result
Winchester by-election, 1964[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Morgan Morgan-Giles 18,032 52.17 -15.09
Labour C.P. Seyd 11,968 34.62 +1.88
Liberal J. Edwards 4,567 13.21 +13.21
Majority 6,064 17.54 -26.98
Turnout 34567
Conservative hold Swing

Aftermath

While the Conservatives held Winchester, it was reported that if the swing of 8.5% from Conservative to Labour were repeated at the general election it would give the latter a majority of over 170 seats. However, the result at Devizes showed a much lower swing to Labour.[3]

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References
  1. "Testing the Electorate. Hopes and Fears in Four Constituencies". The Glasgow Herald. 14 May 1964. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. "1964 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  3. "Socialists' Smell of Election Victory". The Glasgow Herald. 15 May 1964. Retrieved 29 July 2018.


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