Lewisham North by-election, 1957
Encyclopedia
The Lewisham North
by-election
of 14 February 1957 was held following the death of Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) Sir Austin Hudson, 1st Baronet
the previous year. In a defeat for the government the seat was gained by the Labour Party
.
Labour's candidate was Niall MacDermot
, the son of an Irish barrister. Himself a successful lawyer he had only joined the party the previous year after fearing that his involvement in an earlier manslaughter case would preclude any political ambitions. MacDermot's mentor within the party, Elwyn Jones, persuaded him to run for election.
Leslie Greene ran as an "independent loyalist" candidate. Although an independent
she was actively supported by the right-wing pressure group the League of Empire Loyalists
. Greene, the group's organising secretary, had gained notoriety the previous year when he interrupted a speech by Anthony Eden
, typical of the sort of headline-grabbing stunt favoured by the group at the time.
Lewisham North (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewisham North was a parliamentary constituency in Lewisham, London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.- Boundaries :...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
of 14 February 1957 was held following 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,...
(MP) Sir Austin Hudson, 1st Baronet
Sir Austin Hudson, 1st Baronet
Sir Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson, 1st Baronet was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom....
the previous year. In a defeat for the government the seat was gained by 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...
.
Candidates
The Conservatives chose Norman Farmer as their candidate for a seat that had been held by the party since its creation in 1950.Labour's candidate was Niall MacDermot
Niall MacDermot
Niall MacDermot was a British Labour Party politician.He was first elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Lewisham North, at a by-election in 1957 following the death of Conservative MP Sir Austin Hudson.MacDermot lost his seat two years later at the 1959 general election,...
, the son of an Irish barrister. Himself a successful lawyer he had only joined the party the previous year after fearing that his involvement in an earlier manslaughter case would preclude any political ambitions. MacDermot's mentor within the party, Elwyn Jones, persuaded him to run for election.
Leslie Greene ran as an "independent loyalist" candidate. Although an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
she was actively supported by the right-wing pressure group the League of Empire Loyalists
League of Empire Loyalists
The League of Empire Loyalists was a British pressure group , established in 1954, which campaigned against the dissolution of the British Empire. The League was a small group of current or former members of the Conservative Party led by Arthur K...
. Greene, the group's organising secretary, had gained notoriety the previous year when he interrupted a speech by Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, typical of the sort of headline-grabbing stunt favoured by the group at the time.