Liverpool Walton by-election, 1991
Encyclopedia
The Liverpool Walton by-election was held on 4 July 1991, following the death of the Labour Party
Member of Parliament
Eric Heffer
for Liverpool Walton
, on 27 May.
The constituency had become a safe Labour seat under Heffer, who was known as a left-wing MP. During the 1980s, the Trotskyist Militant Tendency
, operating within the Labour Party, had gained control of Liverpool City Council
. Following a confrontation with the Conservative
government over cuts to their budget and the Council's refusal to set a rate, the Liverpool 47, included all the Militant councillors, were surcharged and disqualified in 1986. They were also roundly criticised by Labour leader Neil Kinnock
.
While the Liverpool 29
left-wing councillors, including many Militant members, were subsequently elected to the Council, in 1990 they were later expelled from the Labour Party as part of a general policy to curtail Militant's activities. They formed the "Broad Left" group on the Council.
When Heffer announced his retirement, Lesley Mahmood
, a "Broad Left" councillor and a member of Militant, stood for the Labour nomination. She was narrowly beaten by Peter Kilfoyle
, who was highly critical of Militant and had been appointed by the NEC to lead the 1986 inquiry identifying Militant-supporting members of the Labour Party. Kilfoyle was strongly supported by Kinnock, but despised by Militant. Mahmood stood as a "Walton Real Labour" candidate. However, some of Militant's leaders, Ted Grant
and Rob Sewell, remained convinced of the merits of entrism and argued privately against Mahmood standing.
Attitudes on the far left
to Mahmood's candidature varied. It was supported by the Socialist Workers Partyhttp://www.socialistparty.org.uk/militant/mil2frame.htm?ch44.htm and Workers Power. Socialist Organiser
opposed it, claiming that "a comparatively tiny breakaway such as theirs can only result in making the Liverpool Labour Party safe for the Kinnockites", and calling instead for a vote for Labour.http://www.workersliberty.org/node/6876 The Revolutionary Communist Party
opposed a vote for any candidate.http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/230/rcpdesign.html
Several other candidates stood. The Liberal Democrats
stood Paul Clark, a local councillor and the Liberal Party
candidate in the previous general election. The Conservatives, who had little support in the constituency, despite having held it until 1964, stood Berkeley Greenwood. Screaming Lord Sutch
stood for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
, and George Lee-Delisle stood on a platform advocating proportional representation
.
Kilfoyle was able to win the election, taking a majority of the votes cast, although significantly down on Heffer's result in the 1987 election
. The Liberal Democrats gained from the division in the Labour Party and increased their vote to come second. Mahmood was only able to take a distant third place. The Conservatives were beaten into fourth, for the first time in Britain since the Bermondsey by-election, 1983
, and lost their deposit. They did not place fourth in an English by-election again until the Hartlepool by-election, 2004
.
Kilfoyle held the seat at the 1992 general election
and at each subsequent election.
For Militant, the candidacy was a key moment in their turn to an open party. They stood candidates in the 1992 election in Liverpool, and also in Glasgow (as Scottish Militant Labour
). This led Ted Grant to form a minority tendency, and ultimately to his expulsion from Militant to form Socialist Appeal
. The remainder of Militant later founded the Socialist Party (England and Wales)
and the Scottish Socialist Party
, Mahmood eventually leaving in 1998.
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,...
Eric Heffer
Eric Heffer
Eric Samuel Heffer was a British socialist politician. He was Labour Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton from 1964 until his death. His working-class background and consciousness fed in to his left-wing politics, but to an extent disguised the depth of his knowledge: with 12,000 books in...
for Liverpool Walton
Liverpool Walton (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool, Walton is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, on 27 May.
The constituency had become a safe Labour seat under Heffer, who was known as a left-wing MP. During the 1980s, the Trotskyist Militant Tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
, operating within the Labour Party, had gained control of Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Joe Anderson.-Domain:...
. Following a confrontation with the 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...
government over cuts to their budget and the Council's refusal to set a rate, the Liverpool 47, included all the Militant councillors, were surcharged and disqualified in 1986. They were also roundly criticised by Labour leader Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
.
While the Liverpool 29
Liverpool 29
The Liverpool 29 councillors were 29 left-wing councillors on the Liverpool City Council who were suspended from the official Labour Party group on the council in 1990 for voting against rent rises, redundancies and implementation of the Poll Tax, in breach of the official party whip...
left-wing councillors, including many Militant members, were subsequently elected to the Council, in 1990 they were later expelled from the Labour Party as part of a general policy to curtail Militant's activities. They formed the "Broad Left" group on the Council.
When Heffer announced his retirement, Lesley Mahmood
Lesley Mahmood
Lesley Mahmood is an English politician.She was active in Militant Tendency and Liverpool politics along with her brother Roy Farrar in the 1970s and 1980s....
, a "Broad Left" councillor and a member of Militant, stood for the Labour nomination. She was narrowly beaten by Peter Kilfoyle
Peter Kilfoyle
Peter Kilfoyle is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton from 1991 to 2010.-Early life:...
, who was highly critical of Militant and had been appointed by the NEC to lead the 1986 inquiry identifying Militant-supporting members of the Labour Party. Kilfoyle was strongly supported by Kinnock, but despised by Militant. Mahmood stood as a "Walton Real Labour" candidate. However, some of Militant's leaders, Ted Grant
Ted Grant
Edward "Ted" Grant , 9 July 1913 in Germiston, South Africa – 20 July 2006 in London) was a South African Trotskyist who spent most of his adult life in Britain...
and Rob Sewell, remained convinced of the merits of entrism and argued privately against Mahmood standing.
Attitudes on the far left
Far left
Far left, also known as the revolutionary left, radical left and extreme left are terms which refer to the highest degree of leftist positions among left-wing politics...
to Mahmood's candidature varied. It was supported by the Socialist Workers Partyhttp://www.socialistparty.org.uk/militant/mil2frame.htm?ch44.htm and Workers Power. Socialist Organiser
Socialist Organiser
Socialist Organiser was a weekly socialist newspaper circulated in the Labour Party. The newspaper was founded in 1979 by the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory, later renamed the Socialist Organiser Alliance....
opposed it, claiming that "a comparatively tiny breakaway such as theirs can only result in making the Liverpool Labour Party safe for the Kinnockites", and calling instead for a vote for Labour.http://www.workersliberty.org/node/6876 The Revolutionary Communist Party
Revolutionary Communist Party (Furedi)
The Revolutionary Communist Tendency , which emerged in 1978, began as a Trotskyist political organisation in Britain in 1978, becoming the Revolutionary Communist Party in 1981, in the tradition of the revolutionary Bolshevik Party...
opposed a vote for any candidate.http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/230/rcpdesign.html
Several other candidates stood. The Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
stood Paul Clark, a local councillor and 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...
candidate in the previous general election. The Conservatives, who had little support in the constituency, despite having held it until 1964, stood Berkeley Greenwood. Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
stood for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
, and George Lee-Delisle stood on a platform advocating proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
Kilfoyle was able to win the election, taking a majority of the votes cast, although significantly down on Heffer's result in the 1987 election
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 Liberal Democrats gained from the division in the Labour Party and increased their vote to come second. Mahmood was only able to take a distant third place. The Conservatives were beaten into fourth, for the first time in Britain since the Bermondsey by-election, 1983
Bermondsey by-election, 1983
A by-election was held in the Bermondsey constituency in South London, on 24 February 1983, following the resignation of Labour MP Robert Mellish, who had represented the constituency and its predecessors in the House of Commons since 1946...
, and lost their deposit. They did not place fourth in an English by-election again until the Hartlepool by-election, 2004
Hartlepool by-election, 2004
On 23 July 2004, the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, in England, Peter Mandelson , was nominated as the United Kingdom's new European Commissioner. On 8 September he accepted the office of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, thereby disqualifying himself from Parliament and causing a by-election...
.
Kilfoyle held the seat at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
and at each subsequent election.
For Militant, the candidacy was a key moment in their turn to an open party. They stood candidates in the 1992 election in Liverpool, and also in Glasgow (as Scottish Militant Labour
Scottish Militant Labour
Scottish Militant Labour was a minor political party operating in Scotland in the 1990s and was part of the Committee for a Workers' International...
). This led Ted Grant to form a minority tendency, and ultimately to his expulsion from Militant to form Socialist Appeal
Socialist Appeal
Socialist Appeal is the publication of a British Trotskyist organisation operating within the Labour Party which was founded by Ted Grant and Alan Woods after they were expelled from the Militant tendency. The organisation is popularly known as the Socialist Appeal group, and publishes a monthly...
. The remainder of Militant later founded the Socialist Party (England and Wales)
Socialist Party (England and Wales)
The Socialist Party is a Trotskyist party active in England and Wales.It publishes the weekly newspaper The Socialist and the monthly magazine Socialism Today...
and the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
, Mahmood eventually leaving in 1998.