1976 Thurrock by-election

The Thurrock by-election of 15 July 1976 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Hugh Delargy. Labour held on to the seat in the by-election [1]

## Results

[edit]

Thurrock by-Election, 1976[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Oonagh McDonald | 22,191  | 45.27  | −10.30
| Conservative | Percy Lomax  | 17,352  | 35.39  | +10.95
| Liberal | Anthony Charlton  | 5,977  | 12.19  | −7.80
| National Front | John Roberts  | 3,255  | 6.64  | New
| English National | Frank Hansford-Miller | 187  | 0.38  | New
| World Grid Sunshine Room Party  | Peter Bishop  | 72  | 0.15  | New
Majority  | 4,839  | 9.88  | −21.24
Turnout | 49,034  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | 10.6 from Labour to Conservative  |

## Outcome

[edit]

Reporting the result of the election, The Glasgow Herald argued that the Labour government had taken "another severe battering from the electorate" with the Labour majority falling by over 14,000 votes since the last general election. It also argued that "Labour voters in London dockland stayed away in droves". However it noted that for Prime Minister James Callaghan the most important thing would be that Oonagh McDonald's victory would "swell the Government's effective majority to three."[3] Margaret Thatcher said the vote was "a massive vote of no confidence in the Government" and looked forward to the next by-election.[3] By contrast the result was argued by The Glasgow Herald to auger "problems" for the Liberal leader David Steel and the newspaper suggested that the Government would be concerned at the size of the National Front's vote in a seat it had not previously fought.[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Result from previous election". Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
2. ^ "1976 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
3. ^ a b c "Labour win poll - but majority tumbles". The Glasgow Herald. 16 July 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 18 April 2021.

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1978|

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1979|

* March: Clitheroe
* Knutsford
* Liverpool Edge Hill

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