Wirral South by-election, 1997
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for the United Kingdom
parliament constituency of Wirral South, in Merseyside
, England
, on 27 February 1997. The seat became vacant on the death of Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
Barry Porter
, and was won by Labour
's Ben Chapman
.
The Conservative loss in this seat, which came close to the last possible date for a general election
, meant that they no longer had a majority in the House of Commons
. Wirral South was the last in a run of significant Conservative losses, following a period of dissatisfaction with the Major years.
As with almost all constituencies fought at the 1997 May election
, Wirral South was subject to boundary changes. Labour has held the seat 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....
was held for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
parliament constituency of Wirral South, in 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on 27 February 1997. The seat became vacant on the death of 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...
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,...
Barry Porter
Barry Porter
George Barrington Porter, known as Barry Porter was a British lawyer and Conservative Party politician....
, and was won by 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...
's Ben Chapman
Ben Chapman (politician)
James Keith Chapman, known as Ben Chapman, is a British Labour Party politician and former civil servant who was the Member of Parliament for Wirral South from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
.
The Conservative loss in this seat, which came close to the last possible date for a general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, meant that they no longer had a majority in 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...
. Wirral South was the last in a run of significant Conservative losses, following a period of dissatisfaction with the Major years.
As with almost all constituencies fought at the 1997 May election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Wirral South was subject to boundary changes. Labour has held the seat since the by-election.
External links
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside