1969 Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election
The Newcastle-under-Lyme by-election of 30 October 1969 was caused by the death of Labour MP Stephen Swingler. It was held on the same day as four other by-elections[1] and the seat was retained by Labour.[2] (in Glasgow Gorbals, Islington North, Paddington North, and Swindon.)
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Golding | 21,786[2] | 46.13[2] | -15.67[1] | |
Conservative | Nicholas Winterton | 20,744 | 43.92% | +5.72 | |
Liberal | David Spreckley | 2,999 | 6.35 | +6.35 | |
Democratic Party | D Parker | 1,699 | 3.60 | +3.60 | |
Turnout | 47,228 | 72.3 | |||
Majority | 1,042 | 2.21 | -21.40 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Aftermath
Although the Conservatives achieved a 10.7% swing from Labour, John Golding claimed that his victory was a vote of confidence in Harold Wilson's Government. Conservative supporters responded by shouting "Rubbish", while their unsuccessful candidate, Nicholas Winterton, stated the result was notice for the Government "to quit - and soon".[4] The other three by-elections in England held on the same day also saw similar large swings to the Conservatives, with Swindon being gained by the latter party.[4]
References
- UK Election Statistics: 1918-2004 RESEARCH PAPER 04/61 28 JULY 2004 Archived 14 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 27 October 2008
- GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS SINCE 1966, accessed 27 October 2008
- "1969 By Election Results". British Elections Ephemera Archive. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
- Warden, John (31 October 1969). "Tories Gain One Seat in Five By-elections". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 5 July 2020.