1976 Rotherham by-election
The Rotherham by-election of 24 June 1976 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Brian O'Malley. Labour held on to the seat in the by-election.
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Stanley Crowther | 14,351 | 50.69 | −13.89 | |
| Conservative | Douglas Hinckley | 9,824 | 34.70 | +12.64 | |
| Liberal | Beth Graham | 2,214 | 7.82 | −5.53 | |
| National Front | George Wright | 1,696 | 5.99 | New | |
| World Grid Sunshine Room Party | Peter Bishop | 129 | 0.46 | New | |
| English National | Robin Atkinson | 99 | 0.35 | New | |
| Majority | 4,527 | 15.99 | −26.51 | ||
| Turnout | 28,313 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Aftermath
[edit]The result was significant as it meant that the Labour government retained a majority of one in the House of Commons.[2] However although Labour had held the seat, The Glasgow Herald noted that the voters had sent the party a "sour message". In a seat that had been considered safe for Labour, their majority dropped by over 11,000 votes and there was a 13.3% swing to the Conservatives. Moreover, the reduced turnout was taken by the newspaper as suggesting some Labour supporters had failed to come out and vote for their party. The newspaper thought that the Prime Minister James Callaghan, would be "very concerned" by this fall in support and by the size of the National Front candidate's vote.[2]
See also
[edit]- 1899 Rotherham by-election
- 1910 Rotherham by-election
- 1917 Rotherham by-election
- 1994 Rotherham by-election
- 2012 Rotherham by-election
References
[edit]- ^ "1976 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Labour win - but 13% swing to the Tories". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 17 April 2021.