1984 South West Surrey by-election

* * *

| <- 1983 | 3 May 1984 | 1987 ->

|
|

* * *

Constituency of South West Surrey
Turnout| 61.7% ( 12.8%)
|  | First party  | Second party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |

Lib

Lab

Candidate  | Virginia Bottomley | Gavin Scott | Barbara Roche
Party  | Conservative | Liberal | Labour
Popular vote  | 21,545 | 18,946  | 2,949
Percentage  | 49.3% | 43.4%  | 6.7%
Swing  |  10.4% |  11.3%  |  1.5%

* * *

| MP before election

Maurice Macmillan
Conservative

| Subsequent MP

Virginia Bottomley
Conservative

|

The 1984 South West Surrey by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 3 May 1984 for the British House of Commons constituency of South West Surrey.

## Previous MP

[edit]

The seat had become vacant on 10 March 1984. The constituency's Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), Maurice Macmillan, had died suddenly at the age of 63. He had recently acquired the courtesy title of Viscount Macmillan of Ovendon when his father (who would ultimately outlive him by nearly three years)[1] was created the Earl of Stockton on 24 February 1984.

Maurice Macmillan was a Cabinet minister in Edward Heath's government in the 1970s, as well as the son of former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who was still alive when his son died. He had been South West Surrey's MP since the constituency was created for the 1983 general election, having previously been MP for Farnham from 1966. Macmillan had first entered Parliament at the 1955 general election representing the constituency of Halifax, but had lost his seat at the 1964 general election.

## Candidates

[edit]

Six candidates were nominated. They are listed below in descending order of votes.

1\. Mrs Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley (born 1948), was the Conservative candidate. She was a part-time psychiatric social worker, at the time of the by-election. She is married to Peter Bottomley who has also served as a Conservative MP.

Mrs Bottomley had contested the Isle of Wight in the 1983 general election. Subsequent to the by-election she retained the seat, until she retired from the House of Commons and was granted a Life Peerage in 2005. She served as a member of John Major's cabinet from 1992 until 1997.

2\. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance, was freelance journalist and broadcaster Gavin Douglas Scott (born 1950). Since the by-election Scott has become known as a screenwriter.

3\. The Labour nominee was Mrs Barbara Maureen Roche (born 1954), a barrister. Mrs Roche has subsequently been elected to Parliament and has served as a junior minister.

4\. Victor Litvin was an Independent candidate, who upset some people with his unique ballot paper label.

5\. Miss Helen Mary Anscomb was an Independent candidate, who frequently contested by-elections in the 1980s.

6\. Peter Reid Smith, was another Independent candidate.

## Result and Votes

[edit]

By-Election 1984: South West Surrey[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Virginia Bottomley | 21,545  | 49.3  | −10.4
| Liberal | Gavin Scott | 18,946  | 43.4  | +11.3
| Labour | Barbara Roche | 2,949  | 6.7  | −1.5
| Pro-Nuclear Holocaust Masturbation Freedom  | Victor Litvin  | 117  | 0.3  | New
| Death off Roads: Freight on Rail  | Helen Anscomb  | 82  | 0.2  | New
| Votes for a full hearing  | Peter Smith  | 29  | 0.1  | New
Majority  | 2,599  | 5.9  | −21.7
Turnout | 43,668  | 61.7  | −12.8
| Conservative hold | Swing | -10.9  |

## See also

[edit]

* South West Surrey constituency
* Surrey
* List of United Kingdom by-elections
* United Kingdom by-election records

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "BBC ON THIS DAY | 29 | 1986: Harold Macmillan dies". BBC News. 29 December 1998. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
2. ^ Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2015.

## References

[edit]

* Britain Votes/Europe Votes By-Election Supplement 1983-, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1985)
* British Parliamentary by-elections: Surrey South West, 1984
* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

* v
* t
* e

« 48th Parliament « By-elections to the 49th Parliament of the United Kingdom » 50th Parliament »

1983|

* July: Penrith and the Border

1984|

* March: Chesterfield
* May: Cynon Valley
* South West Surrey
* Stafford
* June: Portsmouth South
* December: Enfield Southgate

1985|

* July: Brecon and Radnor
* December: Tyne Bridge

1986|

* January: Belfast East
* Belfast North
* Belfast South
* East Antrim
* East Londonderry
* Fermanagh & South Tyrone
* Lagan Valley
* Mid Ulster
* Newry & Armagh
* North Antrim
* North Down
* South Antrim
* South Down
* Strangford
* Upper Bann
* April: Fulham
* May: Ryedale
* West Derbyshire
* July: Newcastle-under-Lyme
* November: Knowsley North

1987|

* February: Greenwich
* March: Truro

Lists of UK by-elections
1801–1806
1806–1818
1818–1832
1832–1847
1847–1857
1857–1868
1868–1885
1885–1900
1900–1918
1918–1931
1931–1950
1950–1979
1979–2010
2010–present
Northern Ireland
Hereditary peers
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template