1979 Clitheroe by-election

UK parliamentary by-election November 2019 On 1 March 1979 a by-election was held for the UK House of Commons constituency of Clitheroe in Lancashire. It was won by the Conservative Party candidate David Waddington. Vacancy The seat had become vacant when the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), David Walder had died at the age of 49 on 26 October 1978. He had held the seat since the 1970 general election, having previously been MP for High Peak in Derbyshire.October 1974 general election results https://web.archive.org/web/20080510224154/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge74b/i06.htm 10 May 2008 at Richard Kimber's political science resourcesFebruary 1974 general election results https://web.archive.org/web/20080510224148/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge74a/i06.htm 10 May 2008 at Richard Kimber's political science resources Candidates The Conservative candidate was 49-year-old David Waddington, a barrister who had been MP for Nelson and Colne from 1968 until his defeat at the October 1974 general election. The Labour Party candidate was Lindsay Sutton, and the Liberals fielded Frank Wilson. Result The result was a clear victory for Waddington, with a massively increased majority of 36.6% of the votes. The Labour vote fell by a few percent, but the Liberal share of the vote collapsed to 6.6% from its 20.8% high in October 1974. The Liberal candidate also lost their deposit. Waddington held the seat until its abolition for the 1983 general election, when he was returned for the new Ribble Valley constituency. He went on to become Home Secretary and Leader of the House of Lords. Clitheroe by-election, 1979http://by-elections.co.uk/79.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120314034509/http://by-elections.co.uk/79.html 1979 By Election Results 2012-03-14 dead 2015-09-17 Conservative Party (UK) David Waddington 22,185 65.0 +17.0 Labour Party (UK) Lindsay Sutton 9,685 28.4 −2.8 Liberal Party (UK) Frank Wilson 2,242 6.6 −14.2 12,500 36.6 +19.8 34,112 Conservative Party (UK) +9.9 Previous election General election October 1974: Clitheroe Conservative Party (UK) David Walder 19,643 48.0 +0.2 Labour Party (UK) B. McColgan 12,775 31.2 +3.2 Liberal Party (UK) C. W. Roberts 8,503 20.8 −3.4 6,868 16.8 −3.0 40,921 78.6 −5.0 Conservative Party (UK) −1.5 See also Clitheroe constituency The town of Clitheroe List of United Kingdom by-elections References Category:1979 elections in the United Kingdom Category:1979 in England Category:March 1979 in the United Kingdom Category:1970s in Lancashire Category:Clitheroe Category:Politics of Ribble Valley Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Lancashire constituencies