Croydon North West by-election, 1981
Encyclopedia
The Croydon North West
by-election took place on 22 October 1981. It was caused by the death of Conservative
Member of Parliament
Robert Taylor
on 18 June 1981.
The Conservative Party selected John Butterfill
, then vice-chairman of Guildford
Conservative Association. The Labour Party
, the runners-up at the 1979 general election
, selected a local councillor, Stanley Boden.
The Liberal Party
had come a distant third in 1979, but the by-election came shortly after the formation of the Social Democratic Party
(SDP), with whom the Liberals had entered into an electoral pact, the SDP-Liberal Alliance
. It was therefore expected that the election would provide a platform for Shirley Williams of the SDP to return to Parliament, having lost her seat in 1979. However, the Liberal Party insisted on their own candidate and selected the lesser known Bill Pitt who had stood in the seat for the previous three general elections and at the time was the London Regional Party Chair.
22-year-old Nick Griffin
(who became leader of the British National Party
in 1999) stood in his first election in Croydon North West, representing the National Front. In total, a record twelve candidates stood, one more than in the Lambeth Central by-election, 1978
. This record would be broken at the Chesterfield by-election, 1984
.
Pitt duly won the seat on the surge of support for the Alliance and a 24% swing, strengthening the Liberals' hand in negotiations with the SDP.
Croydon North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Croydon North West was a 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.- Politics and history of the constituency :...
by-election took place on 22 October 1981. It was caused by the death of Conservative
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,...
Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (UK politician)
Robert George Taylor was Conservative Member of Parliament for Croydon North West, South London from 1970 until his death in 1981, which triggered the Croydon North West by-election in which the Tories lost the seat to Liberal MP Bill Pitt.- External links :...
on 18 June 1981.
The Conservative Party selected John Butterfill
John Butterfill
Sir John Valentine Butterfill FRICS is a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West from 1983 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
, then vice-chairman of Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
Conservative Association. 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...
, the runners-up 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...
, selected a local councillor, Stanley Boden.
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...
had come a distant third in 1979, but the by-election came shortly after the formation of the Social Democratic Party
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...
(SDP), with whom the Liberals had entered into an electoral pact, the SDP-Liberal Alliance
SDP-Liberal Alliance
The SDP–Liberal Alliance was an electoral pact formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom which was in existence from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal...
. It was therefore expected that the election would provide a platform for Shirley Williams of the SDP to return to Parliament, having lost her seat in 1979. However, the Liberal Party insisted on their own candidate and selected the lesser known Bill Pitt who had stood in the seat for the previous three general elections and at the time was the London Regional Party Chair.
22-year-old Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
(who became leader of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
in 1999) stood in his first election in Croydon North West, representing the National Front. In total, a record twelve candidates stood, one more than in the Lambeth Central by-election, 1978
Lambeth Central by-election, 1978
The Lambeth Central by-election was held on 20 April 1978, following the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament for Lambeth Central Marcus Lipton....
. This record would be broken at the Chesterfield by-election, 1984
Chesterfield by-election, 1984
The Chesterfield by-election, 1984 was held on 1 March 1984 for a seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom to represent Chesterfield in Derbyshire...
.
Pitt duly won the seat on the surge of support for the Alliance and a 24% swing, strengthening the Liberals' hand in negotiations with the SDP.