1977 Birmingham Stechford by-election

Background

As a leading Labour sitting MP Roy Jenkins had hoped to become Foreign Secretary in the government of James Callaghan but was overlooked in favour of Anthony Crosland. Following this Jenkins was nominated as President of the European Commission in succession to François-Xavier Ortoli, a move which necessitated his departure from Parliament.

Candidates

With the seat being solid Labour Party territory the by-election presented the possibility of a return to Parliament for Terry Davis, who had served as member for the defunct Bromsgrove seat from a by-election in 1971 until its abolition in 1974. Davis however failed to take the seat and began a pattern for the ailing Labour government who also lost the next by-election in Ashfield when David Marquand followed Jenkins to a role in the Commission.

It also left the governing Labour Party without a majority and resulted in a vote of no confidence being issued, although the government won and was able to cling onto power by forming a pact with the Liberals.

The Conservative candidate Andrew MacKay won the election with a majority of nearly 2,000, although ultimately he would only hold the seat until 1979 when it was regained for Labour. MacKay would go on to enjoy a long parliamentary career representing a number of constituencies.

The Liberal Party candidate was Graham Gopsill, a Birmingham councillor who finished the by-election in a lowly fourth place. Gopsill would later serve the Liberal Democrats in Droitwich Spa until his death in 2009. He was beaten into fourth by National Front candidate Andrew Brons, a veteran of a number of far right movements and member of the NF National Directorate who eventually became NF chairman in 1980. Other candidates to appear on the ballot were leftists Brian Heron of the International Marxist Group and journalist Paul Foot for the Socialist Workers Party.

Result

Previous result

References

References

1. [http://by-elections.co.uk/77.html#stechford Full results] {{webarchive. link. (12 October 2013)
2. Rosen, Greg (2001) ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', Politicos, p. 318
3. [http://by-elections.co.uk/77.html 1977 by-elections] {{webarchive. link. (12 October 2013)
4. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/23/newsid_2531000/2531277.stm BBC News]
5. "1979 results".
6. [http://midworcslibdems.org.uk/news/000010/tributes_paid_to_the_late_councillor_graham_gopsill.html Obituary from local Liberal Democrats site] {{webarchive. link. (2 February 2010)
7. Duncan Campbell, [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jun/08/european-elections-bnp 'Andrew Brons, the genteel face of neo-fascism'], ''[[The Guardian]]'' 8 June 2009
8. "1977 By Election Results".