Enfield Southgate by-election, 1984
Encyclopedia
The Enfield Southgate by-election, 1984 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 13 December 1984 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Enfield Southgate.
in the Brighton hotel bombing
.
Sir Anthony George Berry
(12 February 1925 – 12 October 1984) was a Conservative
MP
for Enfield Southgate, and a Whip in Margaret Thatcher
's government
.
Sir Anthony Berry had been Southgate's MP since the 1964 general election
. The constituency had been renamed Enfield Southgate in 1983.
Nine candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.
1. The Conservative candidate was Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo
. Born in 1953, Portillo was a Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
. He had contested Birmingham Perry Barr in the United Kingdom general election, 1983
.
Portillo won the by-election and went on to become a prominent political figure. He was serving as Secretary of State for Defence
, when defeated in this seat at the United Kingdom general election, 1997
. Portillo subsequently represented Kensington and Chelsea
(1999-2005) and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Conservative Party leadership (2001), before retiring from politics to pursue a media career.
2. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
, was Timothy Willatt Slack. He was a former headmaster, born in 1928, who was Director of the Foreign Office International Conference Centre. Slack had contested the seat of Petersfield
at both general elections in 1974.
3. Representing the Labour Party was Winston Farouk Hamid (known as Peter Hamid). The Trinidad born Hamid was aged 52. He had lived in the UK for 31 years and was a member of Enfield Borough Council to which he had been elected in 1982.
4. Andreas Polydorou was an Independent, who ran as a Turkish Troops Out of Cyprus candidate.
5. Industrial chemist and Royal Navy veteran (1943-1946), James Wilfred Kershaw, stood on behalf of a far right group known as the Nationalist Party. Craig regarded Kershaw as a party candidate rather than an Independent.
6. Raymond Edwin Shenton was an English National Party
candidate, who advocated a far right
policy. Craig regarded Shenton as an Independent.
7. Iain Innes Burgess was an Independent candidate, whose ballot paper label was Abolish Greater London - Restore Middlesex Shire.
8. George Weiss
stood for Captain Rainbow's Universal Party. Craig considered him an Independent.
9. Miss Helen Mary Anscomb was an Independent who used the label Death off Roads: Freight on Rail.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 13 December 1984 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 Enfield Southgate.
Previous MP
The seat had become vacant on 12 October 1984 in sudden and tragic circumstances, when the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP) was killed by the Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
in the Brighton hotel bombing
Brighton hotel bombing
The Brighton hotel bombing happened on 12 October 1984 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. The bomb was planted by Provisional Irish Republican Army member Patrick Magee, with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet who were staying at the hotel for the...
.
Sir Anthony George Berry
Anthony Berry
Sir Anthony George Berry was a British politician, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate, and a Whip in Margaret Thatcher's government...
(12 February 1925 – 12 October 1984) was a 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...
MP
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,...
for Enfield Southgate, and a Whip in Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
.
Sir Anthony Berry had been Southgate's MP since the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
. The constituency had been renamed Enfield Southgate in 1983.
Candidates
Given the reason for the by-election, there was some discussion about the Labour Party and the Alliance not contesting the poll. However, in the end both opposition forces were represented in the list of candidates.Nine candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.
1. The Conservative candidate was Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
. Born in 1953, Portillo was a Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
. He had contested Birmingham Perry Barr in the United Kingdom general election, 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
.
Portillo won the by-election and went on to become a prominent political figure. He was serving as Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
, when defeated in this seat at the United Kingdom general election, 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. Portillo subsequently represented Kensington and Chelsea
Kensington and Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Kensington and Chelsea was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the safest Conservative seats in the United Kingdom, and since its creation in 1997 became a prestigious seat, with MP Alan Clark, the former Defence Secretary...
(1999-2005) and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Conservative Party leadership (2001), before retiring from politics to pursue a media career.
2. The Liberal Party candidate, representing 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...
, was Timothy Willatt Slack. He was a former headmaster, born in 1928, who was Director of the Foreign Office International Conference Centre. Slack had contested the seat of Petersfield
Petersfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Petersfield was an English Parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Petersfield in Hampshire. It existed for several hundred years until its abolition for the 1983 general election....
at both general elections in 1974.
3. Representing the Labour Party was Winston Farouk Hamid (known as Peter Hamid). The Trinidad born Hamid was aged 52. He had lived in the UK for 31 years and was a member of Enfield Borough Council to which he had been elected in 1982.
4. Andreas Polydorou was an Independent, who ran as a Turkish Troops Out of Cyprus candidate.
5. Industrial chemist and Royal Navy veteran (1943-1946), James Wilfred Kershaw, stood on behalf of a far right group known as the Nationalist Party. Craig regarded Kershaw as a party candidate rather than an Independent.
6. Raymond Edwin Shenton was an English National Party
English National Party
English National Party has been the name of various political parties of England.-The original ENP:The English National Party was founded as the John Hampden New Freedom Party in the 1960s by Frank Hansford-Miller. In 1974, it renamed itself the "English Nationalist Party"...
candidate, who advocated a far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
policy. Craig regarded Shenton as an Independent.
7. Iain Innes Burgess was an Independent candidate, whose ballot paper label was Abolish Greater London - Restore Middlesex Shire.
8. George Weiss
Rainbow George Weiss
Rainbow George Weiss son of a diamond merchant, is a fringe UK politician who stood in 13 constituencies at the 2005 General Election....
stood for Captain Rainbow's Universal Party. Craig considered him an Independent.
9. Miss Helen Mary Anscomb was an Independent who used the label Death off Roads: Freight on Rail.
Votes
See also
- Enfield Southgate constituency
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...
Source
- Britain Votes/Europe Votes By-Election Supplement 1983-, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1985)