Bolton East by-election, 1960
Encyclopedia
The Bolton East by-election, 1960 was a by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Bolton East
in Lancashire
on 16 November 1960. It was won by the Conservative Party
candidate Edwin Taylor
.
Member of Parliament
Philip Bell
, QC
, was appointed as a County Court Judge. He had held the seat since the 1951 general election
.
The by-election saw the decision of the Liberal Party
to field a candidate, which broke a local pact which had held for 10 years whereby the Liberals left the Bolton East seat alone, and in return the Conservatives did not stand in Bolton West
; the pact had achieved its objective of preventing the Labour Party
from winning either.
, with the Liberal candidate Frank Byers
securing a quarter of the vote. Dissension within the Labour Party over nuclear disarmament was thought to have helped Taylor win.
At the 1964 general election, a more organised Labour campaign in Bolton East saw Taylor voted out by a margin of more than 3,000 votes (with the Liberals simultaneously losing Bolton West by roughly the same margin).
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Bolton East
Bolton East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton East was a borough constituency in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester . It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
on 16 November 1960. It was won by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate Edwin Taylor
Edwin Taylor
Edwin Taylor, JP was a British master baker and politician from Bolton.-Bakery:Taylor was educated at St John's School, Wingates, and Bolton Technical College...
.
Vacancy
The seat became vacant when the sitting ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Philip Bell
Philip Bell
Philip Ingress Bell, TD, QC was a British barrister and judge, who also had a political career.-Early life:...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, was appointed as a County Court Judge. He had held the seat since the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
.
The by-election saw the decision of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
to field a candidate, which broke a local pact which had held for 10 years whereby the Liberals left the Bolton East seat alone, and in return the Conservatives did not stand in Bolton West
Bolton West (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton West is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
; the pact had achieved its objective of preventing the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
from winning either.
Result
Taylor was elected by a margin of 641 votes over Labour candidate Robert HowarthRobert Howarth
Robert Lever Howarth is a British politician from Bolton who was a Member of Parliament for Bolton East from 1964 to 1970.-Earlier career:...
, with the Liberal candidate Frank Byers
Frank Byers
Charles Frank Byers, Baron Byers, OBE, PC, DL was a British Liberal Party politician.Byers was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, moved with the family to Potters Bar and was educated at Westminster School, later Christ Church, Oxford where he won a Blue for athletics...
securing a quarter of the vote. Dissension within the Labour Party over nuclear disarmament was thought to have helped Taylor win.
At the 1964 general election, a more organised Labour campaign in Bolton East saw Taylor voted out by a margin of more than 3,000 votes (with the Liberals simultaneously losing Bolton West by roughly the same margin).