Knowsley North by-election, 1986
Encyclopedia
The Knowsley North by-election, 1986 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 13 November 1986 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Knowsley North
.
Labour retained the seat with well over half of the votes, while the SDP-Liberal Alliance finished runner-up by attracting more than a third of the votes. Although the Conservative government at the time was just months away from a third successive general election win
, the Conservative candidate in this by-election attracted just over 6% of all votes - reflecting the Conservative Party's low popularity on Merseyside
, which had some of the highest levels of unemployment in the United Kingdom largely due to the monetarist
policies to tackle inflation.
Member of Parliament (MP), Robert Kilroy-Silk
(born 19 May 1942) resigned his seat to pursue a media career. He did this by being appointed Steward of the Manor of Northstead, a notional offices of profit under the Crown, which is used to permit MPs to vacate their seats.
Kilroy-Silk had been an MP since the February 1974 general election
. The constituency he originally represented was Ormskirk
. That seat disappeared in a redistribution and Kilroy-Silk moved to the new constituency of Knowsley North in 1983.
He returned to politics in 2004, becoming a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East Midlands
, initially with the United Kingdom Independence Party
.
1. Representing the Labour Party was George Edward Howarth (born 29 June 1949). He was Chief Executive of the Wales Trades Union Congress
Centre in Cardiff and had been deputy leader of Knowsley Borough Council 1982-1983.
He has been a Labour
member of Parliament
since the by-election
in 1986, originally for Knowsley North
until 1997, and then for its replacement Knowsley North and Sefton East. In June 2008 he continues to represent this seat.
Howarth was a junior minister from 1997 until 2001.
2. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
, was Rosie Cooper
. She had been a member of Liverpool City Council since 1973 and worked as a junior executive at Littlewoods. Cooper had contested the seat of Liverpool Garston
in the 1983 general election.
3. The Conservative candidate was Roger Brown, a barrister born in 1951. He had been a member of Bury Borough Council from 1982 until 1986.
4. David Hallsworth stood for election as a candidate of the Revolutionary Communist Party led by Frank Furedi
.
5. George Weiss
, a frequent election candidate, was an Independent using the ballot paper label "Rainbow Alliance Captain Rainbows Universal Party".
6. Robert Cory was an Independent candidate.
at the 1983 general election.
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 November 1986 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 Knowsley North
Knowsley North (UK Parliament constituency)
Knowsley North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
.
Labour retained the seat with well over half of the votes, while the SDP-Liberal Alliance finished runner-up by attracting more than a third of the votes. Although the Conservative government at the time was just months away from a third successive general election win
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, the Conservative candidate in this by-election attracted just over 6% of all votes - reflecting the Conservative Party's low popularity on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, which had some of the highest levels of unemployment in the United Kingdom largely due to the monetarist
Monetarism
Monetarism is a tendency in economic thought that emphasizes the role of governments in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It is the view within monetary economics that variation in the money supply has major influences on national output in the short run and the price level over...
policies to tackle inflation.
Previous MP
The seat had become vacant on 1 October 1986. The constituency's LabourLabour 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 (MP), Robert Kilroy-Silk
Robert Kilroy-Silk
Robert Michael Kilroy-Silk is an English former politician, former independent Member of the European Parliament, and former television presenter, best known for his daytime talk show Kilroy. He has been a university lecturer and Labour Party Member of Parliament...
(born 19 May 1942) resigned his seat to pursue a media career. He did this by being appointed Steward of the Manor of Northstead, a notional offices of profit under the Crown, which is used to permit MPs to vacate their seats.
Kilroy-Silk had been an MP since the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
. The constituency he originally represented was Ormskirk
Ormskirk (UK Parliament constituency)
Ormskirk was a county 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. It was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as a division of the parliamentary county of...
. That seat disappeared in a redistribution and Kilroy-Silk moved to the new constituency of Knowsley North in 1983.
He returned to politics in 2004, becoming a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East Midlands
East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 5 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
, initially with the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
.
Candidates
Six candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.1. Representing the Labour Party was George Edward Howarth (born 29 June 1949). He was Chief Executive of the Wales Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
Centre in Cardiff and had been deputy leader of Knowsley Borough Council 1982-1983.
He has been a 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,...
since the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1986, originally for Knowsley North
Knowsley North (UK Parliament constituency)
Knowsley North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
until 1997, and then for its replacement Knowsley North and Sefton East. In June 2008 he continues to represent this seat.
Howarth was a junior minister from 1997 until 2001.
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 Rosie Cooper
Rosie Cooper
Rosemary Elizabeth Cooper is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for West Lancashire since 2005.- Early years :Cooper was born in Liverpool, the daughter of deaf parents...
. She had been a member of Liverpool City Council since 1973 and worked as a junior executive at Littlewoods. Cooper had contested the seat of Liverpool Garston
Liverpool Garston (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Garston 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.-Boundaries:...
in the 1983 general election.
3. The Conservative candidate was Roger Brown, a barrister born in 1951. He had been a member of Bury Borough Council from 1982 until 1986.
4. David Hallsworth stood for election as a candidate of the Revolutionary Communist Party led by Frank Furedi
Frank Furedi
Frank Furedi is professor of sociology at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. He is well known for his work on sociology of fear, therapy culture, paranoid parenting and sociology of knowledge....
.
5. 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....
, a frequent election candidate, was an Independent using the ballot paper label "Rainbow Alliance Captain Rainbows Universal Party".
6. Robert Cory was an Independent candidate.
Votes
Note a Change is calculated from the SDP candidate who represented the SDP-Liberal AllianceSDP-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...
at the 1983 general election.
See also
- Knowsley North constituencyKnowsley North (UK Parliament constituency)Knowsley North was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
- 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)