Bristol West by-election, 1957
Encyclopedia
The Bristol West byelection of 7 March 1957 was a by-election
to the House of Commons
which saw the constituency of Bristol West elect a new Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
to replace Sir Walter Monckton
. Sir Walter had first been elected at a previous byelection in 1951.
chose Robert Cooke
, a schoolteacher who was only 26 years old. Cooke had been President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
in 1953, and was elected to Bristol
City Council the next year; he had been the Conservative candidate for Bristol South East
in the 1955 general election
.
The Labour Party
chose William Rodgers
, then General Secretary of the Fabian Society
, who was 28 at the time. There was no Liberal Party
candidate.
" (youngest member), and kept the seat until he retired at the 1979 general election
. William Rodgers was not disillusioned and later became Labour Member of Parliament for Stockton-on-Tees
in a 1962 byelection
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to 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...
which saw the constituency of Bristol West elect a new 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...
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,...
to replace Sir Walter Monckton
Walter Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
Walter Turner Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, GCVO, KCMG, MC, PC was a British politician.-Early years:...
. Sir Walter had first been elected at a previous byelection in 1951.
Candidates
The Conservative PartyConservative 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...
chose Robert Cooke
Robert Cooke (politician)
Robert Gordon Cooke was a British Conservative Party politician.Cooke was educated at The Downs School, Wraxall, Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford...
, a schoolteacher who was only 26 years old. Cooke had been President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
in 1953, and was elected to 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...
City Council the next year; he had been the Conservative candidate for 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 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
.
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...
chose William Rodgers
William Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank
William Thomas Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, PC , usually known as William Rodgers but also often known as Bill Rodgers, was one of the "Gang of Four" of senior British Labour Party politicians who defected to form the Social Democratic Party...
, then General Secretary of the Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
, who was 28 at the time. There was no 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...
candidate.
Results
Robert Cooke kept the seat in the Conservative column but suffered a substantial reduction in the majority, which fell from 22,001 to 14,162. Labour retained almost all of their 1955 vote. Cooke became the "Baby of the HouseBaby of the House
Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a parliamentary house. The term is most often applied to members of the British parliament.-Australia:In Australia the term is rarely used...
" (youngest member), and kept the seat until he retired at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
. William Rodgers was not disillusioned and later became Labour Member of Parliament for Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees (UK Parliament constituency)
Stockton-on-Tees is a former borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in a 1962 byelection
Stockton-on-Tees by-election, 1962
The Stockton-on-Tees by-election, 1962 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham on 5 April 1962. It was the by-election at which Bill Rodgers, a future Cabinet minister and member of the "Gang of Four" of senior Labour...
.
Votes
See also
- Bristol West (UK Parliament constituency)
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950 - 1979)