1967 Liberal Party leadership election

August 2019 1967 Liberal Party leadership election presidential no 1976 Liberal Party leadership election 1976 18 January 1967 Jeremy Thorpe ffd700 6 50% Emlyn Hooson ffd700 3 25% File:Lord-Avebury-2006.jpg Eric Lubbock ffd700 3 25% Leader Jo Grimond Jeremy Thorpe The 1967 Liberal Party leadership election was called following the resignation of Jo Grimond, in the wake of disappointing results in the 1966 general election. Background There were three candidates (Jeremy Thorpe, Emlyn Hooson and Eric Lubbock), who were elected by a ballot of the Liberal Parliamentary Party using Alternative Vote. Jeremy Thorpe secured the most votes in the first round, but did not win overall, as the rules said that he needed to win more than half of votes cast. Both Hooson and Lubbock's second preferences voted for one another, cancelling one another out, so faced with a deadlock, both other candidates withdrew from the contest to endorse Thorpe who was consequentially elected unopposed. Although the vote was by a secret ballot, Liberal MP Peter Bessell later published a memoir in which he asserted that Jo Grimond, John Pardoe, David Steel, James Davidson and himself all voted for Thorpe; Alasdair Mackenzie and Russell Johnston voted for Hooson; and Michael Winstanley and Richard Wainwright voted for Lubbock. All three candidates voted for themselves. Bessell also confesses to having caused some confusion by pledging his vote to both Thorpe and Hooson, although he ultimately cast his vote for Thorpe after realising that he had greater momentum.Bessell 1980 104-110 First round results CandidateVotes% Jeremy Thorpe 6 50 Emlyn Hooson 3 25 Eric Lubbock 3 25 Notes References Bessell Peter Cover-Up: The Jeremy Thorpe Affair Simon Books New York 1980 Peter Bessell Boothroyd David http://www.election.demon.co.uk/libleaders.html Liberal Party Leaders 2006-01-16 12 January 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060112011529/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/libleaders.html dead expanded Category:1967 elections in the United Kingdom Category:Liberal Party (UK) leadership elections Liberal Party leadership election