Oldham West by-election, 1968
Encyclopedia
The Oldham West
by-election
for the British House of Commons took place on 13 June 1968, at a time when the Labour government of Harold Wilson was deeply unpopular. The election was caused by the resignation of Labour
Member of Parliament
(MP) Charles Leslie Hale for reasons of ill health. Hale had been an MP in the town since the 1945 General Election
.
This election took place in a two-year period during which Labour lost ten seats in by-elections, never with a swing of less than ten percent against them. Oldham West was convincingly gained for the Conservatives with a 17.7% swing by Bruce Campbell
with a majority of 3,311 over the Labour candidate Michael Meacher
. Meacher, a future minister both under Wilson
and in the Blair government
, would go on to recover the seat from Campbell in the 1970 General Election
: 1968-1970 was the only time in the post-WWII era that this division of Oldham was not represented by Labour. The Liberal Party
, contesting the seat for the first time since 1951, finished in fourth place, while a creditable third place was gained by the former Liberal and celebrated novelist John Creasey
.
Creasey two years previously had formed his own party of national unity, the short-lived All Party Alliance
. He was joined on the campaign trail by the well-known actor Robert Beatty
, and made effective use of local newspapers to promote his campaign. This was the third in a series of by-elections which he fought, and though his best result to date, it was to be his last. He stated after the election that he intended to stand in the constituency again in the next general election; however in 1970 he announced that he would not be doing so.
Oldham West (UK Parliament constituency)
Oldham West was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham in the north-west of Greater Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the British House of Commons took place on 13 June 1968, at a time when the Labour government of Harold Wilson was deeply unpopular. The election was caused by the resignation of 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,...
(MP) Charles Leslie Hale for reasons of ill health. Hale had been an MP in the town since the 1945 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
This election took place in a two-year period during which Labour lost ten seats in by-elections, never with a swing of less than ten percent against them. Oldham West was convincingly gained for the Conservatives with a 17.7% swing by Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell (barrister)
Bruce Campbell QC was a New Zealand-born British lawyer, judge and politician. As a barrister, he specialised in divorce law, and during a brief Parliamentary career he also concentrated on family law issues...
with a majority of 3,311 over the Labour candidate Michael Meacher
Michael Meacher
Michael Hugh Meacher is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton since 1997. Previously he had been the MP for Oldham West, first elected in 1970. On 22 February 2007 he declared that he would be standing for the Labour Leadership, challenging...
. Meacher, a future minister both under Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
and in the Blair government
Blair Ministry
Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for three successive parliamentary terms from 1997-2007. His Cabinet was reshuffled for each new parliament as well as changed during the three periods.-Formation:...
, would go on to recover the seat from Campbell in the 1970 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
: 1968-1970 was the only time in the post-WWII era that this division of Oldham was not represented by Labour. 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...
, contesting the seat for the first time since 1951, finished in fourth place, while a creditable third place was gained by the former Liberal and celebrated novelist John Creasey
John Creasey
John Creasey MBE was an English crime and science fiction writer. The author of more than 600 novels, he published them using 28 different pseudonyms, including Anthony Morton, Michael Halliday, Kyle Hunt, J.J. Marric, Jeremy York, Richard Martin, Peter Manton, Norman Deane, Gordon Ashe, Henry St...
.
Creasey two years previously had formed his own party of national unity, the short-lived All Party Alliance
All Party Alliance
The All Party Alliance was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded in January 1966 by the well-known writer John Creasey. Its the main policies were a national government by the best members of each party, and the running of industry by councils including workers, managers,...
. He was joined on the campaign trail by the well-known actor Robert Beatty
Robert Beatty
Robert Beatty was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.-Career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Beatty began his acting career in Britain in 1939....
, and made effective use of local newspapers to promote his campaign. This was the third in a series of by-elections which he fought, and though his best result to date, it was to be his last. He stated after the election that he intended to stand in the constituency again in the next general election; however in 1970 he announced that he would not be doing so.