Bradford North by-election, 1990
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for the United Kingdom
House of Commons
for one Member of Parliament
(MP) in the constituency of Bradford North
, in West Yorkshire
, England
, on 9 November 1990. This was due to the death of former MP Pat Wall
.
Bradford
is a city based on heavy engineering and textile industries. The Bradford North seat had briefly been held by the Conservatives from 1983 to 1987, when the Labour
candidate Pat Wall (a member of the Militant Tendency
) saw his vote split by a strong SDP
challenge and by the sitting Labour MP Ben Ford standing as an Independent. (The successful Conservative, Geoffrey Lawler
, had only 34.6% of the vote)
The byelection took place when Margaret Thatcher
was highly unpopular and in her last month as Prime Minister. Declining support for the Tory government (which improved after John Major
succeeded Thatcher near the end of November 1990) was reflected by the fact that the Conservative candidate in this by-election only attracted just over one in six of the total votes just over three years after it had held the seat.
The successful Labour candidate Terry Rooney became the first Mormon
to be elected to the House of Commons.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was held for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
for one 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,...
(MP) in the constituency of Bradford North
Bradford North (UK Parliament constituency)
Bradford North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until it was abolished for the 2010 general election, it elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on 9 November 1990. This was due to the death of former MP Pat Wall
Pat Wall
Charles Patrick Wall was an English Trotskyist political figure and Labour Party Member of Parliament for Bradford North from 1987 to 1990...
.
Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
is a city based on heavy engineering and textile industries. The Bradford North seat had briefly been held by the Conservatives from 1983 to 1987, when the Labour
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...
candidate Pat Wall (a member of the Militant Tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
) saw his vote split by a strong SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
challenge and by the sitting Labour MP Ben Ford standing as an Independent. (The successful Conservative, Geoffrey Lawler
Geoffrey Lawler
Geoffrey John Lawler is a British politician and public affairs consultant. He was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament, representing Bradford North, for one term.-Early life:...
, had only 34.6% of the vote)
The byelection took place when Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
was highly unpopular and in her last month as Prime Minister. Declining support for the Tory government (which improved after John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
succeeded Thatcher near the end of November 1990) was reflected by the fact that the Conservative candidate in this by-election only attracted just over one in six of the total votes just over three years after it had held the seat.
The successful Labour candidate Terry Rooney became the first Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
to be elected to the House of Commons.