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1976 Workington by-election

UK by-election

UK by-election

FieldValue
election_name1976 Workington by-election
typeparliamentary
countryUnited Kingdom
seats_for_electionConstituency of Workington
ongoingno
previous_electionOctober 1974 United Kingdom general election
previous_yearOct. 1974
next_election1979 United Kingdom general election
next_year1979
election_date4 November 1976
candidate1**Richard Page**
image1**Con**
party1Conservative Party (UK)
popular_vote1**19,396**
percentage1**48.2%**
swing1**15.9%**
candidate2Dale Campbell-Savours
image2[[File:Official portrait of Lord Campbell-Savours (3x4 crop).jpgx160px]]
party2Labour Party (UK)
popular_vote218,331
percentage245.6%
swing210.4%
candidate3Bernard Wates
image3**Lib**
party3Liberal Party (UK)
popular_vote32,480
percentage36.2%
swing35.6%
titleMP
before_electionFred Peart
before_partyLabour Party (UK)
after_electionRichard Page
after_partyConservative Party (UK)

The 1976 Workington by-election was a parliamentary by-election held in England for the House of Commons constituency of Workington in Cumbria on 4 November 1976. It was won by the Conservative Party candidate Richard Page, who became the first non-Labour MP in the constituency’s history.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant when the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Fred Peart had been elevated to the peerage in order to serve as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal. He had held the seat since the 1945 general election, and had served in previous Cabinets under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.

Candidates

The Labour candidate was 33-year-old Dale Campbell-Savours, the Managing Director of a clock company who had fought Darwen in both the February and October elections of 1974.

The Conservative Party candidate was Richard Page, who was 35 and had contested the Workington seat against Peart in both 1974 general elections.

Result

The result was a surprise victory for Page and the Conservatives, with a majority of 1,065 votes. Workington had been a safe Labour seat, held even in the landslide defeat of 1931.

Both the main contenders in this by-election would go on to long Parliamentary careers. Campbell-Savours defeated Page for the Workington seat at the 1979 election, and would represent it until standing down at the 2001 election, when he was elevated to the Lords.

After his defeat, Page soon returned to the House of Commons at a 1979 by-election for the constituency of South West Hertfordshire, which he would represent until the 2005 election.

Votes

Previous election

References

References

  1. [http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge74a/i21.htm February 1974 general election results] {{Webarchive. link. (27 October 2003 at Richard Kimber's political science resources)
  2. "1976 By Election Results".
  3. [http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge74b/i21.htm October 1974 general election results] at Richard Kimber's political science resources
Info: Wikipedia Source

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