List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950–1979)

This is a list of parliamentary by-elections in the United Kingdom, with the names of the incumbent and victor and their respective parties. Where seats changed political party at the election, the result is highlighted: red for a Labour gain, blue for a Conservative gain, orange for a Liberal gain, yellow for an SNP gain, green for a Plaid Cymru gain and grey for any other gain.

## Resignations[edit]

See Resignation from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for more details.

Where the cause of by-election is given as "resignation" or "seeks re-election", this indicates that the incumbent was appointed on his or her own request to an "office of profit under the Crown", either the Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Steward of the Manor of Northstead. These appointments are made as a constitutional device for leaving the House of Commons, whose Members are not permitted to resign.

## By-elections[edit]

### October 1974–1979 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Liverpool Edge Hill | 29 March 1979[47 1] | Sir Arthur Irvine |  | Labour | David Alton |  | Liberal | Death
Knutsford | 1 March 1979  | John Davies |  | Conservative | Jock Bruce-Gardyne |  | Conservative | Resignation on medical advice
Clitheroe | 1 March 1979  | David Walder |  | Conservative | David Waddington |  | Conservative | Death
Pontefract and Castleford | 26 October 1978  | Joe Harper |  | Labour | Geoffrey Lofthouse |  | Labour | Death
Berwick and East Lothian | 26 October 1978  | John Mackintosh |  | Labour | John Home Robertson |  | Labour | Death
Penistone | 13 July 1978  | John Mendelson |  | Labour | Allen McKay |  | Labour | Death
Manchester Moss Side | 13 July 1978  | Frank Hatton |  | Labour | George Morton |  | Labour | Death
Hamilton | 31 May 1978  | Alexander Wilson |  | Labour | George Robertson |  | Labour | Death
Wycombe | 27 April 1978  | Sir John Hall |  | Conservative | Ray Whitney |  | Conservative | Death
Epsom and Ewell | 27 April 1978  | Peter Rawlinson |  | Conservative | Archie Hamilton |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Lambeth Central | 20 April 1978  | Marcus Lipton |  | Labour | John Tilley |  | Labour | Death
Glasgow Garscadden | 13 April 1978  | William Small |  | Labour | Donald Dewar |  | Labour | Death
Ilford North | 2 March 1978[47 1] | Millie Miller |  | Labour | Vivian Bendall |  | Conservative | Death
Bournemouth East | 24 November 1977  | John Cordle |  | Conservative | David Atkinson |  | Conservative | Resignation: found in contempt of the House
Birmingham Ladywood | 18 August 1977  | Brian Walden |  | Labour | John Sever |  | Labour | Appointment as presenter of LWT programme Weekend World
Saffron Walden | 7 July 1977  | Sir Peter Kirk |  | Conservative | Alan Haselhurst |  | Conservative | Death
Grimsby | 28 April 1977  | Anthony Crosland |  | Labour | Austin Mitchell |  | Labour | Death
Ashfield | 28 April 1977[47 2] | David Marquand |  | Labour | Tim Smith |  | Conservative | New career as Chief of Staff to Roy Jenkins
Birmingham Stechford | 31 March 1977[47 2] | Roy Jenkins |  | Labour | Andrew MacKay |  | Conservative | President of the European Commission
City of London and Westminster South | 24 February 1977  | Christopher Tugendhat |  | Conservative | Peter Brooke |  | Conservative | European Commissioner
Cambridge | 2 December 1976  | David Lane |  | Conservative | Robert Rhodes James |  | Conservative | New career as chairman for the Commission for Racial Equality
Workington | 4 November 1976[47 2] | Fred Peart |  | Labour | Richard Page |  | Conservative | Life peerage on appointment as Leader of the House of Lords
Walsall North | 4 November 1976[47 2] | John Stonehouse |  | Labour/English National | Robin Hodgson |  | Conservative | Resignation (convicted of insurance fraud)
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central | 4 November 1976  | Edward Short |  | Labour | Harry Cowans |  | Labour | New career as chairman of Cable & Wireless
Thurrock | 15 July 1976  | Hugh Delargy |  | Labour | Oonagh McDonald |  | Labour | Death
Rotherham | 24 June 1976  | Brian O'Malley |  | Labour | Stanley Crowther |  | Labour | Death
Wirral | 11 March 1976  | Selwyn Lloyd |  | Speaker | David Hunt |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Carshalton | 11 March 1976  | Robert Carr |  | Conservative | Nigel Forman |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Coventry North West | 4 March 1976  | Maurice Edelman |  | Labour | Geoffrey Robinson |  | Labour | Death
Woolwich West | 26 June 1975[47 1] | William Hamling |  | Labour | Peter Bottomley |  | Conservative | Death

1. ^ a b c Gain retained at the 1979 general election.
2. ^ a b c d Gain not retained at the 1979 UK general election.

### February–October 1974 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Newham South | 23 May 1974  | Sir Elwyn Jones |  | Labour | Nigel Spearing |  | Labour | Life peerage on appointment as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain

### 1970 – February 1974 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Hove | 8 November 1973  | Martin Maddan |  | Conservative | Timothy Sainsbury |  | Conservative | Death
Glasgow Govan | 8 November 1973[45 1] | John Rankin |  | Labour | Margo MacDonald |  | SNP | Death
Edinburgh North | 8 November 1973  | Earl of Dalkeith |  | Conservative | Alexander Fletcher |  | Conservative | Succession to the Peerage
Berwick-upon-Tweed | 8 November 1973[45 2] | Antony Lambton |  | Conservative | Alan Beith |  | Liberal | Resignation (scandal)
Ripon | 26 July 1973[45 1] | Malcolm Stoddart-Scott |  | Conservative | David Austick |  | Liberal | Death
Isle of Ely | 26 July 1973[45 2] | Harry Legge-Bourke |  | Conservative | Clement Freud |  | Liberal | Death
Manchester Exchange | 27 June 1973  | William Griffiths |  | Labour | Frank Hatton |  | Labour | Death
Westhoughton | 24 May 1973  | Tom Price |  | Labour | Roger Stott |  | Labour | Death
West Bromwich | 24 May 1973  | Maurice Foley |  | Labour | Betty Boothroyd |  | Labour | Appointment to the European Commission staff
Lincoln | 1 March 1973[45 2] | Dick Taverne |  | Labour/Democratic Labour | Dick Taverne |  | Democratic Labour | Sought re-election upon change of party allegiance
Dundee East | 1 March 1973[45 3] | George Thomson |  | Labour | George Machin |  | Labour | Appointment as European Commissioner
Chester-le-Street | 1 March 1973  | Norman Pentland |  | Labour | Giles Radice |  | Labour | Death
Uxbridge | 7 December 1972  | Charles Curran |  | Conservative | Michael Shersby |  | Conservative | Death
Sutton and Cheam | 7 December 1972[45 1] | Richard Sharples |  | Conservative | Graham Tope |  | Liberal | Governor of Bermuda
Rochdale | 26 October 1972[45 2] | Jack McCann |  | Labour | Cyril Smith |  | Liberal | Death
Southwark | 4 May 1972  | Ray Gunter |  | Labour/Independent Labour  | Harry Lamborn |  | Labour | Resignation (dispute with party)
Kingston-upon-Thames | 4 May 1972  | John Boyd-Carpenter |  | Conservative | Norman Lamont |  | Conservative | Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority
Merthyr Tydfil | 13 April 1972[45 2] | S. O. Davies |  | Independent Labour | Edward Rowlands |  | Labour | Death
Macclesfield | 30 September 1971  | Sir Arthur Vere Harvey |  | Conservative | Nicholas Winterton |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Widnes | 23 September 1971  | James MacColl |  | Labour | Gordon Oakes |  | Labour | Death
Stirling and Falkirk | 16 September 1971  | Malcolm Macpherson |  | Labour | Harry Ewing |  | Labour | Death
Greenwich | 8 July 1971  | Richard Marsh |  | Labour | Guy Barnett |  | Labour | Chairman of British Rail
Hayes and Harlington | 17 June 1971  | Arthur Skeffington |  | Labour | Neville Sandelson |  | Labour | Death
Goole | 27 May 1971  | George Jeger |  | Labour | Edmund Marshall |  | Labour | Death
Bromsgrove | 27 May 1971[45 1] | James Dance |  | Conservative | Terry Davis |  | Labour | Death
Southampton Itchen | 27 May 1971  | Horace King |  | Speaker | Bob Mitchell |  | Labour | Life peerage
Arundel and Shoreham | 1 April 1971  | Henry Kerby |  | Conservative | Richard Luce |  | Conservative | Death
Liverpool Scotland | 1 April 1971  | Walter Alldritt |  | Labour | Frank Marsden |  | Labour | Resignation
Enfield West | 19 November 1970  | Iain Macleod |  | Conservative | Cecil Parkinson |  | Conservative | Death
St Marylebone | 22 October 1970  | Quintin Hogg |  | Conservative | Kenneth Baker |  | Conservative | Life peerage on appointment as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain

1. ^ a b c d Gain not retained at the February 1974 general election.
2. ^ a b c d e Gain retained at the February 1974 UK general election.
3. ^ George Machin retained the seat for Labour in the by-election but lost it to the SNP in the February 1974 UK general election.

### 1966–1970 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
South Ayrshire | 19 March 1970  | Emrys Hughes |  | Labour | James Sillars |  | Labour | Death
Bridgwater | 12 March 1970  | Gerald Wills |  | Conservative | Tom King |  | Conservative | Death
Wellingborough | 4 December 1969[44 1] | Harry Howarth |  | Labour | Peter Fry |  | Conservative | Death
Louth | 4 December 1969  | Sir Cyril Osborne |  | Conservative | Jeffrey Archer |  | Conservative | Death
Swindon | 30 October 1969[44 2] | Francis Noel-Baker |  | Labour | Christopher Ward |  | Conservative | Resignation
Paddington North | 30 October 1969  | Ben Parkin |  | Labour | Arthur Latham |  | Labour | Death
Newcastle-under-Lyme | 30 October 1969  | Stephen Swingler |  | Labour | John Golding |  | Labour | Death
Islington North | 30 October 1969  | Gerald Reynolds |  | Labour | Michael O'Halloran |  | Labour | Death
Glasgow Gorbals | 30 October 1969  | Alice Cullen |  | Labour | Frank McElhone |  | Labour | Death
Birmingham Ladywood | 26 June 1969[44 2] | Victor Yates |  | Labour | Wallace Lawler |  | Liberal | Death
Chichester | 22 May 1969  | Walter Loveys |  | Conservative | Christopher Chataway |  | Conservative | Death
Mid Ulster | 17 April 1969[44 1] | George Forrest |  | Ulster Unionist | Bernadette Devlin |  | Unity | Death
Weston-super-Mare | 27 March 1969  | David Webster |  | Conservative | Jerry Wiggin |  | Conservative | Death
Walthamstow East | 27 March 1969[44 1] | William Robinson |  | Labour | Michael McNair-Wilson |  | Conservative | Death
Brighton Pavilion | 27 March 1969  | Sir William Teeling |  | Conservative | Julian Amery |  | Conservative | Resignation
New Forest | 7 November 1968  | Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre |  | Conservative | Patrick McNair-Wilson |  | Conservative | Resignation
Bassetlaw | 31 October 1968  | Frederick Bellenger |  | Labour | Joseph Ashton |  | Labour | Death
Caerphilly | 18 July 1968  | Ness Edwards |  | Labour | Alfred Evans |  | Labour | Death
Nelson and Colne | 27 June 1968[44 1] | Sydney Silverman |  | Labour | David Waddington |  | Conservative | Death
Sheffield Brightside | 13 June 1968  | Richard Winterbottom |  | Labour | Edward Griffiths |  | Labour | Death
Oldham West | 13 June 1968[44 2] | Leslie Hale |  | Labour | Bruce Campbell |  | Conservative | Resignation
Warwick and Leamington | 28 March 1968  | John Hobson |  | Conservative | Dudley Smith |  | Conservative | Death
Meriden | 28 March 1968[44 1] | Christopher Rowland |  | Labour | Keith Speed |  | Conservative | Death
Dudley | 28 March 1968[44 2] | George Wigg |  | Labour | Donald Williams |  | Conservative | Life peerage on appointment as chairman of Horserace Betting Levy Board
Acton | 28 March 1968[44 2] | Bernard Floud |  | Labour | Kenneth Baker |  | Conservative | Death (suicide)
Kensington South | 14 March 1968  | William Roots |  | Conservative | Sir Brandon Rhys Williams |  | Conservative | Resignation (ill-health?)
Derbyshire West | 23 November 1967  | Aidan Crawley |  | Conservative | James Scott-Hopkins |  | Conservative | Appointment as chairman of London Weekend Television
Manchester Gorton | 2 November 1967  | Konni Zilliacus |  | Labour | Kenneth Marks |  | Labour | Death
Leicester South West | 2 November 1967[44 1] | Herbert Bowden |  | Labour | Thomas Boardman |  | Conservative | Appointment as chairman of Independent Television Authority
Hamilton | 2 November 1967[44 2] | Thomas Fraser |  | Labour | Winifred Ewing |  | SNP | Appointment to North Scotland Hydro-Electricity Board
Walthamstow West | 21 September 1967[44 2] | Edward Redhead |  | Labour | Frederick Silvester |  | Conservative | Death
Cambridge | 21 September 1967[44 1] | Robert Davies |  | Labour | David Lane |  | Conservative | Death
Brierley Hill | 27 April 1967  | John Talbot |  | Conservative | Fergus Montgomery |  | Conservative | Death
Honiton | 16 March 1967  | Robert Mathew |  | Conservative | Peter Emery |  | Conservative | Death
Rhondda West | 9 March 1967  | Iorwerth Thomas |  | Labour | Alec Jones |  | Labour | Death
Nuneaton | 9 March 1967  | Frank Cousins |  | Labour | Leslie Huckfield |  | Labour | Resignation
Glasgow Pollok | 9 March 1967[44 2] | Alexander Garrow |  | Labour | Esmond Wright |  | Conservative | Death
Carmarthen | 14 July 1966[44 2] | Megan Lloyd George |  | Labour | Gwynfor Evans |  | Plaid Cymru | Death

1. ^ a b c d e f g Gain retained at the 1970 general election.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gain not retained at the 1970 UK general election.

### 1964–1966 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Kingston upon Hull North | 27 January 1966  | Henry Solomons |  | Labour | Kevin McNamara |  | Labour | Death
Erith and Crayford | 11 November 1965  | Norman Dodds |  | Labour | James Wellbeloved |  | Labour | Death
Cities of London and Westminster | 4 November 1965  | Sir Harry Hylton-Foster |  | Speaker | John Smith |  | Conservative | Death
Hove | 22 July 1965  | Anthony Marlowe |  | Conservative | Martin Maddan |  | Conservative | Resignation (ill-health)
Birmingham Hall Green | 6 May 1965  | Aubrey Jones |  | Conservative | Reginald Eyre |  | Conservative | Appointment as chairman of National Board for Prices and Incomes
Abertillery | 1 April 1965  | Llywelyn Williams |  | Labour | Clifford Williams |  | Labour | Death
Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles | 24 March 1965[43 1] | Charles Donaldson |  | Conservative | David Steel |  | Liberal | Death
Saffron Walden | 23 March 1965  | R. A. Butler |  | Conservative | Peter Kirk |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Salisbury | 4 February 1965  | John Morrison |  | Conservative | Michael Hamilton |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
East Grinstead | 4 February 1965  | Evelyn Emmet |  | Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson Smith |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Altrincham and Sale | 4 February 1965  | Fred Erroll |  | Conservative | Anthony Barber |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Nuneaton | 21 January 1965  | Frank Bowles |  | Labour | Frank Cousins |  | Labour | Life peerage to provide seat for Minister of Technology Frank Cousins
Leyton | 21 January 1965[43 2] | Reg Sorensen |  | Labour | Ronald Buxton |  | Conservative | Life peerage to provide seat for Foreign Secretary Patrick Gordon Walker

1. ^ Gain retained at the 1966 general election.
2. ^ Gain not retained at the 1966 UK general election.

### 1959–1964 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Liverpool Scotland | 11 June 1964  | David Logan |  | Labour | Walter Alldritt |  | Labour | Death
Faversham | 4 June 1964  | Percy Wells |  | Labour | Terence Boston |  | Labour | Death
Winchester | 14 May 1964  | Peter Smithers |  | Conservative | Morgan Morgan-Giles |  | Conservative | Appointment as Secretary-General of Council of Europe
Rutherglen | 14 May 1964[42 1] | Richard Brooman-White |  | Conservative | Gregor Mackenzie |  | Labour | Death
Devizes | 14 May 1964  | Percivall Pott |  | Conservative | Charles Morrison |  | Conservative | Death
Bury St Edmunds | 14 May 1964  | Sir William Aitken |  | Conservative | Eldon Griffiths |  | Conservative | Death
Dumfriesshire | 12 December 1963  | Niall MacPherson |  | Conservative | David Anderson |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Sudbury and Woodbridge | 5 December 1963  | John Hare |  | Conservative | Keith Stainton |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
St Marylebone | 5 December 1963  | Sir Wavell Wakefield |  | Conservative | Quintin Hogg |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Manchester Openshaw | 5 December 1963  | William Williams |  | Labour | Charles Morris |  | Labour | Death
Dundee West | 21 November 1963  | John Strachey |  | Labour | Peter Doig |  | Labour | Death
Luton | 7 November 1963[42 1] | Dr. Charles Hill |  | Conservative | Will Howie |  | Labour | Life peerage on appointment as chairman of Independent Television Authority
Kinross and Western Perthshire | 7 November 1963  | Gilmour Leburn |  | Conservative | Sir Alec Douglas-Home |  | Conservative | Death
Belfast South | 22 October 1963  | Sir David Campbell |  | Ulster Unionist | Rafton Pounder |  | Ulster Unionist | Death
Bristol South East | 20 August 1963[42 1][42 2] | Malcolm St Clair |  | Conservative | Tony Benn |  | Labour | Resignation
Stratford | 15 August 1963  | John Profumo |  | Conservative | Angus Maude |  | Conservative | Resignation (lying to the House of Commons)
West Bromwich | 4 July 1963  | John Dugdale |  | Labour | Maurice Foley |  | Labour | Death
Deptford | 4 July 1963  | Sir Leslie Plummer |  | Labour | John Silkin |  | Labour | Death
Leeds South | 20 June 1963  | Hugh Gaitskell |  | Labour | Merlyn Rees |  | Labour | Death
Swansea East | 28 March 1963  | David Mort |  | Labour | Neil McBride |  | Labour | Death
Rotherham | 28 March 1963  | Jack Jones |  | Labour | Brian O'Malley |  | Labour | Death (road accident)
Colne Valley | 21 March 1963  | Glenvil Hall |  | Labour | Patrick Duffy |  | Labour | Death
Northamptonshire South | 22 November 1962  | Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller |  | Conservative | Arthur Jones |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage on appointment as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
Norfolk Central | 22 November 1962  | Richard Collard |  | Conservative | Ian Gilmour |  | Conservative | Death
Glasgow Woodside | 22 November 1962[42 1] | William Grant |  | Conservative | Neil Carmichael |  | Labour | Appointment as Lord Justice Clerk
Dorset South | 22 November 1962[42 3] | Viscount Hinchingbrooke |  | Conservative | Guy Barnett |  | Labour | Succession to peerage
Chippenham | 22 November 1962  | David Eccles |  | Conservative | Daniel Awdry |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Leicester North East | 12 July 1962  | Sir Lynn Ungoed-Thomas |  | Labour | Tom Bradley |  | Labour | Appointment as High Court Judge
West Lothian | 14 June 1962  | John Taylor |  | Labour | Tam Dalyell |  | Labour | Death
West Derbyshire | 6 June 1962  | Edward Wakefield |  | Conservative | Aidan Crawley |  | Conservative | Appointment as Commissioner for Malta
Middlesbrough West | 6 June 1962[42 1] | Sir Jocelyn Simon |  | Conservative | Jeremy Bray |  | Labour | Appointment as President of Probate Division of the High Court
Montgomeryshire | 15 May 1962  | Clement Davies |  | Liberal | Emlyn Hooson |  | Liberal | Death
Derby North | 17 April 1962  | Clifford Wilcock |  | Labour | Niall MacDermot |  | Labour | Death
Stockton-on-Tees | 5 April 1962  | George Chetwynd |  | Labour | Bill Rodgers |  | Labour | Appointment as director of North-East Development Council
Pontefract | 22 March 1962  | George Sylvester |  | Labour | Joseph Harper |  | Labour | Death
Orpington | 14 March 1962[42 1] | Donald Sumner |  | Conservative | Eric Lubbock |  | Liberal | Appointment as County Court Judge
Middlesbrough East | 14 March 1962  | Hilary Marquand |  | Labour | Arthur Bottomley |  | Labour | Appointment as director of International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva
Blackpool North | 13 March 1962  | Toby Low |  | Conservative | Norman Miscampbell |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Lincoln | 8 March 1962  | Geoffrey de Freitas |  | Labour | Dick Taverne |  | Labour | Appointed as High Commissioner to Ghana
Glasgow Bridgeton | 16 November 1961  | James Carmichael |  | Labour | James Bennett |  | Labour | Resignation (ill-health?)
Oswestry | 9 November 1961  | David Ormsby-Gore |  | Conservative | John Biffen |  | Conservative | Appointment as Ambassador to the United States
East Fife | 9 November 1961  | Sir James Henderson-Stewart, Bt. |  | Conservative | Sir John E. Gilmour |  | Conservative | Death
Manchester Moss Side | 7 November 1961  | James Watts |  | Conservative | Frank Taylor |  | Conservative | Death
Bristol South East | 4 May 1961[42 2] | Tony Benn |  | Labour | Malcolm St Clair |  | Conservative | Succession to peerage
Warrington | 20 April 1961  | Dr Edith Summerskill |  | Labour | Thomas Williams |  | Labour | Life peerage
Paisley | 20 April 1961  | Douglas Johnston |  | Labour | John Robertson |  | Labour | Appointment to Court of Session
Birmingham Small Heath | 23 March 1961  | William Wheeldon |  | Labour | Denis Howell |  | Labour | Death
Worcester | 16 March 1961  | George Ward |  | Conservative | Peter Walker |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
High Peak | 16 March 1961  | Hugh Molson |  | Conservative | David Walder |  | Conservative | Life peerage
Colchester | 16 March 1961  | Cuthbert Alport |  | Conservative | Antony Buck |  | Conservative | Life peerage on appointment as High Commissioner to Rhodesia
Cambridgeshire | 16 March 1961  | Gerald Howard |  | Conservative | Francis Pym |  | Conservative | Appointment as High Court Judge
Blyth | 24 November 1960  | Alfred Robens |  | Labour | Eddie Milne |  | Labour | Appointment as chairman of National Coal Board
Ebbw Vale | 17 November 1960  | Aneurin Bevan |  | Labour | Michael Foot |  | Labour | Death
Tiverton | 16 November 1960  | Derick Heathcoat-Amory |  | Conservative | Robin Maxwell-Hyslop |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Petersfield | 16 November 1960  | Hon. Peter Legh |  | Conservative | Joan Quennell |  | Conservative | Succession to peerage
Ludlow | 16 November 1960  | Christopher Holland-Martin |  | Conservative | Jasper More |  | Conservative | Death
Carshalton | 16 November 1960  | Antony Head |  | Conservative | Walter Elliot |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage on appointment as High Commissioner to Nigeria
Bolton East | 16 November 1960[42 4] | Philip Bell |  | Conservative | Edwin Taylor |  | Conservative | Appointment as County Court Judge
Mid Bedfordshire | 16 November 1960  | Alan Lennox-Boyd |  | Conservative | Stephen Hastings |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage
Edinburgh North | 19 May 1960  | William Rankine Milligan |  | Conservative | John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Earl of Dalkeith |  | Conservative | Appointment to Court of Session
Harrow West | 17 March 1960  | Sir Albert Braithwaite |  | Conservative | John Page |  | Conservative | Death (suicide)
Brighouse and Spenborough | 17 March 1960[42 5] | Lewis John Edwards |  | Labour | Michael Shaw |  | Conservative | Death

1. ^ a b c d e f Gain retained at the 1964 general election.
2. ^ a b Tony Benn won the most votes but was disqualified by virtue of his Peerage; the Election Court declared Malcolm St Clair duly elected. St Clair undertook that if the law was changed to allow Benn to disclaim his hereditary peerage, he would resign and create a by-election. The law was changed by the Peerage Act 1963 and St Clair duly resigned, allowing Benn to return to the Commons in 1963.
3. ^ Gain not retained at the 1964 UK general election.
4. ^ Edwin Taylor retained the seat for the Conservatives in the by-election but lost it to Labour in the 1964 UK general election.
5. ^ A rare occasion when an incumbent government gained a seat from the opposition in a by-election, although it was lost at the 1964 UK general election.

### 1955–1959 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Whitehaven | 18 June 1959  | Frank Anderson |  | Labour | Joseph Symonds |  | Labour | Death
Penistone | 11 June 1959  | Henry McGhee |  | Labour | John Mendelson |  | Labour | Death
Galloway | 9 April 1959  | John Mackie |  | Conservative | John Brewis |  | Conservative | Death
South West Norfolk | 25 March 1959  | Sidney Dye |  | Labour | Albert Hilton |  | Labour | Death (road accident)
Harrow East | 19 March 1959  | Ian Harvey |  | Conservative | Anthony Courtney |  | Conservative | Resignation (scandal)
Belfast East | 19 March 1959  | Alan McKibbin |  | Ulster Unionist | Stanley McMaster |  | Ulster Unionist | Death
Southend West | 29 January 1959  | Sir Henry Channon |  | Conservative | Paul Channon |  | Conservative | Death
Shoreditch and Finsbury | 27 November 1958  | Victor Collins |  | Labour | Michael Cliffe |  | Labour | Elevation to a life peerage
East Aberdeenshire | 20 November 1958  | Sir Robert Boothby |  | Conservative | Patrick Wolrige-Gordon |  | Conservative | Elevation to a life peerage
Pontypool | 10 November 1958  | Granville West |  | Labour | Leo Abse |  | Labour | Elevation to a life peerage
Chichester | 6 November 1958  | Hon. Sir Lancelot Joynson-Hicks |  | Conservative | Walter Loveys |  | Conservative | Succession to the peerage
Morecambe and Lonsdale | 6 November 1958  | Sir Ian Fraser |  | Conservative | Basil de Ferranti |  | Conservative | Elevation to a life peerage
Argyll | 12 June 1958  | Sir Duncan McCallum |  | Conservative | Michael Noble |  | Conservative | Death
Weston-super-Mare | 12 June 1958  | Sir Ian Orr-Ewing |  | Conservative | David Webster |  | Conservative | Death
Wigan | 12 June 1958  | Ronald Williams |  | Labour | Alan Fitch |  | Labour | Death
St Helens | 12 June 1958  | Sir Hartley Shawcross |  | Labour | Leslie Spriggs |  | Labour | Resignation
Ealing South | 12 June 1958  | Angus Maude |  | Conservative | Brian Batsford |  | Conservative | Resignation
Islington North | 15 May 1958  | Wilfred Fienburgh |  | Labour | Gerald Reynolds |  | Labour | Death (road accident)
Torrington | 27 March 1958[41 1] | George Lambert |  | National Liberal and Conservative | Mark Bonham-Carter |  | Liberal | Succession to peerage
Glasgow Kelvingrove | 13 March 1958[41 1] | Walter Elliot |  | Conservative | Mary McAlister |  | Labour | Death
Rochdale | 12 February 1958[41 2] | Wentworth Schofield |  | Conservative | Jack McCann |  | Labour | Death
Liverpool Garston | 5 December 1957  | Sir Victor Raikes |  | Conservative / Independent Conservative  | Richard Bingham |  | Conservative | Resignation (dispute with party)
Leicester South-East | 28 November 1957  | Charles Waterhouse |  | Conservative | John Peel |  | Conservative | Resignation
Ipswich | 24 October 1957  | Richard Stokes |  | Labour | Dingle Foot |  | Labour | Death
Gloucester | 12 September 1957  | Moss Turner-Samuels |  | Labour | Jack Diamond |  | Labour | Death
North Dorset | 27 June 1957  | Robert Crouch |  | Conservative | Richard Glyn |  | Conservative | Death
Hornsey | 30 May 1957  | Sir David Gammans |  | Conservative | Lady Muriel Gammans |  | Conservative | Death
East Ham North | 30 May 1957  | Percy Daines |  | Labour | Reginald Prentice |  | Labour | Death
Edinburgh South | 29 May 1957  | Sir William Darling |  | Conservative | Michael Hutchison |  | Conservative | Resignation
Newcastle-upon-Tyne North | 21 March 1957  | Gwilym Lloyd George |  | National Liberal and Conservative | William Elliott |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Beckenham | 21 March 1957  | Patrick Buchan-Hepburn |  | Conservative | Philip Goodhart |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Warwick and Leamington | 7 March 1957  | Sir Anthony Eden |  | Conservative | John Hobson |  | Conservative | Resignation due to ill health
Bristol West | 7 March 1957  | Walter Monckton |  | Conservative | Robert Cooke |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Carmarthen | 28 February 1957[41 2] | Rhys Hopkin Morris |  | Liberal | Megan Lloyd George |  | Labour | Death
Wednesbury | 28 February 1957  | Stanley Evans |  | Labour | John Stonehouse |  | Labour | Resignation (disagreement with party over Suez)
Lewisham North | 14 February 1957[41 1] | Sir Austin Hudson, Bt.  |  | Conservative | Niall MacDermot |  | Labour | Death
Melton | 19 December 1956  | Anthony Nutting |  | Conservative | Mervyn Pike |  | Conservative | Resignation (disagreement with party over Suez)
City of Chester | 15 November 1956  | Basil Nield |  | Conservative | John Temple |  | Conservative | Recorder of Manchester
Chester-le-Street | 27 September 1956  | Patrick Bartley |  | Labour | Norman Pentland |  | Labour | Death
Newport | 6 July 1956  | Peter Freeman |  | Labour | Sir Frank Soskice |  | Labour | Death
Tonbridge | 7 June 1956  | Gerald Williams |  | Conservative | Richard Hornby |  | Conservative | Resignation
Mid Ulster | 8 May 1956[41 3] | Charles Beattie |  | Ulster Unionist | George Forrest |  | Ind. Unionist | Disqualification
Walthamstow West | 1 March 1956  | Clement Attlee |  | Labour | Edward Redhead |  | Labour | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Taunton | 14 February 1956  | Henry Hopkinson |  | Conservative | Edward du Cann |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Gainsborough | 14 February 1956  | Harry Crookshank |  | Conservative | Marcus Kimball |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Hereford | 14 February 1956  | James Thomas |  | Conservative | David Gibson-Watt |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Leeds North East | 9 February 1956  | Osbert Peake |  | Conservative | Sir Keith Joseph, Bt.  |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Blaydon | 2 February 1956  | William Whiteley |  | Labour | Robert Woof |  | Labour | Death
Torquay | 15 December 1955  | Charles Williams |  | Conservative | Frederic Bennett |  | Conservative | Death
Greenock | 8 December 1955  | Hector McNeil |  | Labour | Dickson Mabon |  | Labour | Death
Gateshead West | 7 December 1955  | John Hall |  | Labour | Harry Randall |  | Labour | Death
Mid Ulster | 11 August 1955[41 3] | Tom Mitchell |  | Sinn Féin | Charles Beattie |  | Ulster Unionist | Disqualification

1. ^ a b c Gain not retained at the 1959 general election.
2. ^ a b Gain retained at the 1959 UK general election.
3. ^ a b Tom Mitchell won the most votes in the 1955 general election but was disqualified by the House of Commons on the grounds that he was a convicted felon. A by-election was called at which Mitchell again stood and won the most votes. On this occasion an election petition was lodged and Mitchell was again disqualified with the Election Court declaring his opponent Charles Beattie duly elected. It was then discovered that Beattie was ineligible to sit because he held offices of profit under the Crown. Beattie was indemnified by Parliament against the consequences of sitting and voting while ineligible, and a further writ was moved. In the subsequent by-election Independent Unionist George Forrest gained more votes than Mitchell and duly took his seat. Subsequently Forrest took the Ulster Unionist whip and won the seat in his new party colours at the 1959 general election.

### 1951–1955 Parliament[edit]

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Wrexham | 17 March 1955  | Robert Richards |  | Labour | Idwal Jones |  | Labour | Death
Stockport South | 3 February 1955  | Arnold Gridley |  | Conservative | Harold Steward |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Edinburgh North | 27 January 1955  | James Clyde |  | Conservative | William Rankine Milligan |  | Conservative | Lord President, Court of Session
Twickenham | 25 January 1955  | Edward Keeling |  | Conservative | Roger Gresham Cooke |  | Conservative | Death
Orpington | 20 January 1955  | Waldron Smithers |  | Conservative | Donald Sumner |  | Conservative | Death
South Norfolk | 13 January 1955  | Peter Baker |  | Conservative | John Hill |  | Conservative | Expelled from the House (convicted of fraud)
Inverness | 21 December 1954  | Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton |  | Conservative | Neil McLean |  | Conservative | Resignation
Armagh | 20 November 1954[40 1][40 2] | James Harden |  | Ulster Unionist | Christopher Armstrong |  | Ulster Unionist | Resignation
Liverpool West Derby | 18 November 1954  | Sir David Maxwell Fyfe |  | Conservative | John Woollam |  | Conservative | Hereditary peerage on appointment as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
Morpeth | 4 November 1954  | Robert Taylor |  | Labour | Will Owen |  | Labour | Death
Sutton and Cheam | 4 November 1954  | Sydney Marshall |  | Conservative | Richard Sharples |  | Conservative | Resignation
Aberdare | 28 October 1954  | David Thomas |  | Labour | Arthur Probert |  | Labour | Death
Aldershot | 28 October 1954  | Oliver Lyttelton |  | Conservative | Eric Errington |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Wakefield | 21 October 1954  | Arthur Greenwood |  | Labour | Arthur Creech Jones |  | Labour | Death
Shoreditch and Finsbury | 21 October 1954  | Ernest Thurtle |  | Labour | Victor Collins |  | Labour | Death
Croydon East | 30 September 1954  | Herbert Williams |  | Conservative | John Hughes-Hallett |  | Conservative | Death
Motherwell | 14 April 1954  | Alexander Anderson |  | Labour | George Lawson |  | Labour | Death
Edinburgh East | 8 April 1954  | John Wheatley |  | Labour | Eustace Willis |  | Labour | Judge, Court of Session
Harrogate | 11 March 1954  | Christopher York |  | Conservative | James Ramsden |  | Conservative | Resignation
Arundel and Shoreham | 9 March 1954  | William Cuthbert |  | Conservative | Henry Kerby |  | Conservative | Resignation
Bournemouth West | 18 February 1954  | Viscount Cranborne |  | Conservative | John Eden |  | Conservative | Resignation
Harwich | 11 February 1954  | Stanley Holmes |  | National Liberal and Conservative | Julian Ridsdale |  | National Liberal and Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Haltemprice | 11 February 1954  | Richard Law |  | Conservative | Patrick Wall |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Ilford North | 3 February 1954  | Geoffrey Hutchinson |  | Conservative | Tom Iremonger |  | Conservative | Chairman, National Assistance Board
Paddington North | 3 December 1953  | William J. Field |  | Labour | Ben Parkin |  | Labour | Resignation (scandal)
Holborn and St Pancras South | 19 November 1953  | Santo Jeger |  | Labour | Lena Jeger |  | Labour | Death
Ormskirk | 12 November 1953  | Arthur Salter |  | Conservative | Douglas Glover |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Crosby | 12 November 1953  | Malcolm Bullock |  | Conservative | Graham Page |  | Conservative | Resignation
Broxtowe | 17 September 1953  | Seymour Cocks |  | Labour | William Warbey |  | Labour | Death
Birmingham Edgbaston | 2 July 1953  | Peter Bennett |  | Conservative | Edith Pitt |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Abingdon | 30 June 1953  | Ralph Glyn |  | Conservative | Airey Neave |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Sunderland South | 13 May 1953[40 3] | Richard Ewart |  | Labour | Paul Williams |  | Conservative | Death
North Down | 15 April 1953[40 1] | Walter Smiles |  | Ulster Unionist | Patricia Ford |  | Ulster Unionist | Death (drowned in ferry disaster)
Hayes and Harlington | 1 April 1953  | Walter Ayles |  | Labour | Arthur Skeffington |  | Labour | Resignation
Stoke-on-Trent North | 31 March 1953  | Albert Davies |  | Labour | Harriet Slater |  | Labour | Death
Barnsley | 31 March 1953  | Sidney Schofield |  | Labour | Roy Mason |  | Labour | Resignation
Isle of Thanet | 12 March 1953  | Hon. Edward Carson |  | Conservative | William Rees-Davies |  | Conservative | Resignation
Canterbury | 12 February 1953  | John Baker White |  | Conservative | Leslie Thomas |  | Conservative | Resignation
Farnworth | 27 November 1952  | George Tomlinson |  | Labour | Ernest Thornton |  | Labour | Death
Birmingham Small Heath | 27 November 1952  | Fred Longden |  | Labour | William Wheeldon |  | Labour | Death
Belfast South | 4 November 1952  | Connolly Gage |  | Ulster Unionist | David Campbell |  | Ulster Unionist | Resignation
Wycombe | 4 November 1952  | Hon. William Astor |  | Conservative | John Hall |  | Conservative | Succession to the peerage
North Antrim | 27 October 1952[40 1] | Sir Hugh O'Neill |  | Ulster Unionist | Phelim O'Neill |  | Ulster Unionist | Resignation
Cleveland | 23 October 1952  | George Willey |  | Labour | Arthur Palmer |  | Labour | Death
Dundee East | 17 July 1952  | Thomas Cook |  | Labour | George Thomson |  | Labour | Death (road accident)
Leeds South East | 7 February 1952  | James Milner |  | Labour | Denis Healey |  | Labour | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Southport | 6 February 1952  | Robert Hudson |  | Conservative | Roger Fleetwood-Hesketh |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage
Bournemouth East and Christchurch | 6 February 1952  | Brendan Bracken |  | Conservative | Nigel Nicolson |  | Conservative | Elevation to a hereditary peerage

1. ^ a b c An uncontested by-election.
2. ^ The Armagh by-election was the last time to date when a UK Parliamentary election was uncontested.
3. ^ A rare occasion when an incumbent government gained a seat from the opposition in a by-election. The gain was held at the 1955 general election.

### 1950–1951 Parliament[edit]

No seats changed hands during this Parliament.

By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause
Westhoughton | 21 June 1951  | Rhys Davies |  | Labour | Tom Price |  | Labour | Illness
Woolwich East | 14 June 1951  | Ernest Bevin |  | Labour | Christopher Mayhew |  | Labour | Death
Londonderry | 19 May 1951[39 1] | Ronald Ross |  | Ulster Unionist | William Wellwood |  | Ulster Unionist | Appointment as Northern Ireland Government Agent in London
Harrow West | 21 April 1951  | Norman Bower |  | Conservative | Albert Braithwaite |  | Conservative | Resignation
Ormskirk | 5 April 1951  | Ronald Cross |  | Conservative | Arthur Salter |  | Conservative | Appointment as Governor of Tasmania
Bristol West | 15 February 1951  | Oliver Stanley |  | Conservative | Walter Monckton |  | Conservative | Death
Abertillery | 30 November 1950  | George Daggar |  | Labour | Llywelyn Williams |  | Labour | Death
Bristol South East | 30 November 1950  | Stafford Cripps |  | Labour | Tony Benn |  | Labour | Resignation (ill-health)
Belfast West | 29 November 1950[39 2] | James Godfrey MacManaway |  | Ulster Unionist | Thomas Teevan |  | Ulster Unionist | Disqualified
Birmingham Handsworth | 16 November 1950  | Harold Roberts |  | Conservative | Edward Boyle |  | Conservative | Death
Oxford | 2 November 1950  | Quintin Hogg |  | Conservative | Lawrence Turner |  | Conservative | Succession to the Peerage
Glasgow Scotstoun | 25 October 1950  | Sir Arthur Young, Bt |  | Conservative | James Hutchison |  | Conservative | Death
Leicester North East | 28 September 1950  | Terence Donovan |  | Labour | Lynn Ungoed-Thomas |  | Labour | Appointment as High Court Judge
Brighouse and Spenborough | 4 May 1950  | Frederick Cobb |  | Labour | John Edwards |  | Labour | Death
Dunbartonshire West | 25 April 1950  | Adam McKinlay |  | Labour | Tom Steele |  | Labour | Death
Sheffield Neepsend | 5 April 1950  | Harry Morris |  | Labour | Frank Soskice |  | Labour | Resignation to provide a seat for Solicitor General Frank Soskice

1. ^ Uncontested by-election.
2. ^ MacManaway had been ordained a priest in the Church of Ireland in 1925. Before his candidature he sought legal advice and resigned all offices in the Church. However, after his election the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council determined him ineligible to sit, ruling that the House of Commons (Clergy Disqualification) Act 1801 disqualified him.

## See also[edit]

* List of United Kingdom by-elections (1979–2010)
* United Kingdom by-election records

## References[edit]

* United Kingdom Election Results (David Boothroyd)
* United Kingdom Elections (Keele University)
* British Parliamentary By-Elections since 1945
* List of MPs since 1660[usurped]
* F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950–73
* F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1974–83
* F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Statistics 1832–1987
* F. W. S. Craig, Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987

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