Bristol South East by-election, 1963
Encyclopedia
The Bristol South East by-election, 1963 was a by-election
held on 20 August 1963 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Bristol South East
in the city of Bristol
.
The seat had become vacant in 1961 when the constituency's Labour
Member of Parliament
(MP) Tony Benn
had inherited from his father an hereditary peerage as Viscount Stansgate
, thus making him ineligible to serve in the House of Commons
. He had been elected at a by-election in 1950.
Benn stood in the 1961 by-election
anyway, but due to his ineligibility, the Conservative Party
candidate Malcolm St Clair
was declared the winner.
When the law was later changed to allow Benn to renounce his peerage, St Clair resigned his seat, triggering the 1963 by-election. Benn won again, with nearly 80% of the votes. The Conservatives did not nominate an official candidate, the last by-election in Great Britain to date that there has been no Conservative candidate.
Edward Martell
was the leader of the National Fellowship
. He claimed that the organisation usually supported the Conservatives, but had wanted to use the opportunity to oppose a socialist candidate. He had approached two local businessmen to stand for the group, but they had both declined the nomination. He described the group's policies as traditional Conservative ideals.
Geoffrey Pearl stood as an anti-socialist liberal conservative. Martell met with Pearl before nominations took place, but Pearl was determined to stand. Martell did persuade another anti-socialist, Norman Moggs, to instead support the Fellowship candidate.
Marguerite Lloyd was a housekeeper from Kensington
, who had once attempted to become a local election candidate sponsored by the General and Municipal Workers Union. She described her platform as opposing "scandals, murders, robberies, vice and housing rackets". She decided to stand only at the last minute, and spent most of her savings on her deposit
. A Mr Elkey of the British Commonwealth Party also arrived at Bristol City Hall in order to nominate himself, but after discovering that Lloyd was on the ballot paper, he decided not to stand.
Lloyd declared that she had no policies, but wanted to thank the city, as she had previously been treated in a local hospital, after falling in the Cheddar Gorge. She attended one of Benn's public meetings, sounding a klaxon until she was permitted to speak. Benn gave her fifteen minutes on the platform, during which she accused Benn of being too young, but her speech was largely ridiculed by the crowd.
Martell asked the police to investigate threatening phone calls which he had received. He persuaded the Bristol South East Conservative Association to join his campaign, even though national Conservatives had called on their supporters not to vote against Benn.
* Pearl withdrew on the eve of poll, to support Martell
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 20 August 1963 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 Bristol South East
Bristol South East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol South East was a borough constituency in the city of Bristol. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election....
in the city of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
The seat had become vacant in 1961 when the constituency's 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...
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) Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
had inherited from his father an hereditary peerage as Viscount Stansgate
Viscount Stansgate
Viscount Stansgate, of Stansgate in the County of Essex, is a currently disclaimed title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1942 for the Labour politician and former Secretary of State for India and Secretary of State for Air, William Wedgwood Benn. He was the second son of Sir...
, thus making him ineligible to serve in the 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...
. He had been elected at a by-election in 1950.
Benn stood in the 1961 by-election
Bristol South East by-election, 1961
The Bristol South East by-election, 1961 was a by-election held on 4 May 1961 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bristol South East in the city of Bristol....
anyway, but due to his ineligibility, 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 Malcolm St Clair
Malcolm St. Clair (UK politician)
Malcolm Archibald James St. Clair was a British Conservative Party politician.He was the son of Major-General G.P. St Clair CB CBE DSO, and was educated at Eton College....
was declared the winner.
When the law was later changed to allow Benn to renounce his peerage, St Clair resigned his seat, triggering the 1963 by-election. Benn won again, with nearly 80% of the votes. The Conservatives did not nominate an official candidate, the last by-election in Great Britain to date that there has been no Conservative candidate.
Candidates
Other than Benn, three candidates stood.Edward Martell
Edward Martell (politician)
Edward Drewett Martell was a British politician and libertarian activist.-Family and education:Martell was the eldest son of E E Martell and Ethel Horwood. He was educated at St. George's School, Harpenden. In 1932 he married Ethel Maud Beverley. They had one son.-Journalism:Martell worked in the...
was the leader of the National Fellowship
National Fellowship
The National Fellowship was a minor far right political party in the United Kingdom.The party was launched under Chairman Edward Martell on 1 January 1962, with full page advertisements in national broadsheets. The advert referred to the organisation as part of a movement spearheaded by The New...
. He claimed that the organisation usually supported the Conservatives, but had wanted to use the opportunity to oppose a socialist candidate. He had approached two local businessmen to stand for the group, but they had both declined the nomination. He described the group's policies as traditional Conservative ideals.
Geoffrey Pearl stood as an anti-socialist liberal conservative. Martell met with Pearl before nominations took place, but Pearl was determined to stand. Martell did persuade another anti-socialist, Norman Moggs, to instead support the Fellowship candidate.
Marguerite Lloyd was a housekeeper from Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, who had once attempted to become a local election candidate sponsored by the General and Municipal Workers Union. She described her platform as opposing "scandals, murders, robberies, vice and housing rackets". She decided to stand only at the last minute, and spent most of her savings on her deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
. A Mr Elkey of the British Commonwealth Party also arrived at Bristol City Hall in order to nominate himself, but after discovering that Lloyd was on the ballot paper, he decided not to stand.
Campaign
Benn was surprised at how quickly the by-election was organised, and was on holiday for the start of the campaign. He focussed his campaign on the need for Parliamentary reform. Pearl also missed the start of the campaign. He campaigned from a van he parked in the constituency, and could only take press enquiries through his mother in London. He introduced new policies during the campaign, including the abolition of all taxation, other than on luxuries, the simplification of spelling, and a switch to driving on the right side of the road. He tried to withdraw on the day before the election, but was told that his name would have to remain on the ballot paper.Lloyd declared that she had no policies, but wanted to thank the city, as she had previously been treated in a local hospital, after falling in the Cheddar Gorge. She attended one of Benn's public meetings, sounding a klaxon until she was permitted to speak. Benn gave her fifteen minutes on the platform, during which she accused Benn of being too young, but her speech was largely ridiculed by the crowd.
Martell asked the police to investigate threatening phone calls which he had received. He persuaded the Bristol South East Conservative Association to join his campaign, even though national Conservatives had called on their supporters not to vote against Benn.
Result
Benn was elected, with almost 80% of the votes cast. Martell became the first independent candidate in 17 years to hold his deposit.* Pearl withdrew on the eve of poll, to support Martell
See also
- Tony BennTony BennAnthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
- Bristol South East constituencyBristol South East (UK Parliament constituency)Bristol South East was a borough constituency in the city of Bristol. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election....
- Bristol South East by-election, 1950Bristol South East by-election, 1950The Bristol South East by-election, 1950 was a by-election held on 30th November 1950 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bristol South East in the city of Bristol...
- Bristol South East by-election, 1961Bristol South East by-election, 1961The Bristol South East by-election, 1961 was a by-election held on 4 May 1961 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bristol South East in the city of Bristol....
- List of United Kingdom by-elections