South Norfolk by-election, 1955
Encyclopedia
The South Norfolk by-election, 1955 was a by-election
held on 13th January 1955 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of South Norfolk
.
The by-election was triggered by the expulsion of the serving Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP), Peter Baker
, who had been expelled from the House of Commons
after being convicted of uttering
, forgery and fraud and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.
In the early 1920s, South Norfolk had been a marginal seat which alternated between Conservative and Labour MPs, before the Conservative James Christie
held it from the 1924 election
until Labour's Christopher Mayhew
won the seat at the 1945 general election
. Baker had recaptured South Norfolk for the Conservatives in 1950
and held it in 1951
; but with majorities of 6.8% and 9.0%, it was far from being a safe seat
for the Conservative Party
.
The result was a narrow win for the Conservative candidate John Hill
, with a majority of only 865 votes (2.9%) over his sole opponent, the Labour candidate J.M. Stewart. At the general election in May 1955
, Hill again faced Stewart, and on a much higher turnout held the seat with a majority of 1,475 (4.1%). He remained South Norfolk's MP until his retirement from Parliament
at the February 1974 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 13th January 1955 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 South Norfolk
South Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
South Norfolk is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1868 until 1885 it returned two members but thereafter elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
The by-election was triggered by the expulsion of the serving 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), Peter Baker
Peter Baker (UK politician)
Peter Arthur David Baker MC was a British Conservative politician and Member of Parliament . He was the last MP to be expelled from the House of Commons....
, who had been expelled from the 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...
after being convicted of uttering
Uttering
In the law of countries whose legal systems derive from English common law, uttering is a crime similar to forgery. Uttering and forgery were originally common law offences, both misdemeanours...
, forgery and fraud and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.
In the early 1920s, South Norfolk had been a marginal seat which alternated between Conservative and Labour MPs, before the Conservative James Christie
James Christie (UK politician)
James Archibald Christie was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for South Norfolk from 1924 until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1945 general election....
held it from the 1924 election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
until Labour's Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to become a Liberal...
won the seat at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Baker had recaptured South Norfolk for the Conservatives in 1950
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
and held it in 1951
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
; but with majorities of 6.8% and 9.0%, it was far from being a safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
for the Conservative Party
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...
.
The result was a narrow win for the Conservative candidate John Hill
John Hill (UK politician)
John Edward Bernard Hill was a barrister, farmer, and British Conservative Party politician. He served as Member of Parliament for South Norfolk for 19 years, from 1955 to 1974. He was also one of the UK's first MEPs, serving from 1973-74.Hill was the only son of Captain Robert Hill, an officer...
, with a majority of only 865 votes (2.9%) over his sole opponent, the Labour candidate J.M. Stewart. At the general election in May 1955
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, Hill again faced Stewart, and on a much higher turnout held the seat with a majority of 1,475 (4.1%). He remained South Norfolk's MP until his retirement from Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at 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,...
.
Votes
See also
- South Norfolk by-election, 1898South Norfolk by-election, 1898The South Norfolk by-election, 1898 was a by-election held on 12 May 1898 for the British House of Commons constituency of South Norfolk.The election was triggered by the resignation on grounds of ill-health of the sitting Liberal Unionist Party former Liberal Member of Parliament , Francis...
- South Norfolk by-election, 1920South Norfolk by-election, 1920The South Norfolk by-election, 1920 was a by-election held on 27 July 1920 for the British House of Commons constituency of South Norfolk.The by-election was triggered by the succession to the peerage of the serving Coalition Liberal Member of Parliament , William Cozens-Hardy.South Norfolk had...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- South Norfolk constituencySouth Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)South Norfolk is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1868 until 1885 it returned two members but thereafter elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....