1957 Wednesbury by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 1957 Wednesbury by-election 9,999 11.64% 1.77% Labour Party (UK) John Stonehouse Labour Party (UK) Stanley Evans Subsequent MP MP 27.96% Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary Sir Peter Tapsell PMQs (3x4 crop).jpg Peter Tapsell 62.17% 22,235 Labour Party (UK) 11.12.67 Présentation officielle du Concorde (1967) - 53Fi1742 (John Stonehouse) (3x4 crop).jpg John Stonehouse 28 February 1957 1959 1959 United Kingdom general election 1955 1955 United Kingdom general election United Kingdom Constituency of Wednesbury Michael Wade 3,529 9.87 Independent (politician) The 1957 Wednesbury by-election was held on 28 February 1957 after the incumbent Labour MP, Stanley Evans, resigned from the House of Commons and the Labour Party after he had refused to vote against the Conservative government on the Suez Crisis. The Labour candidate, John Stonehouse, retained the seat with an increased majority. Background In November 1956 there was a vote of confidence in the Conservative government caused by the Suez Crisis. Evans abstained on the vote, being the only Labour MP not to follow the party whip.Government Majority of 67 in Confidence Vote The Times 2 November 1956 4 Although he was not disciplined by the Parliamentary Labour Party, the Wednesbury Divisional Labour Party were highly critical of him. On 17 November the Divisional Party unanimously passed a resolution calling on him to resign, and on 20 November Evans announced his resignation from both the House of Commons and the Labour Party.Mr S. Evans, M.P., resigns The Times 21 November 1956 6 He formally resigned his seat by taking the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham on 26 November.40936 6727 27 November 1956 Candidates The resulting by-election was held on 28 February 1957.Polling Date in Wednesbury The Times 11 February 1957 4 The Labour Party chose John Stonehouse, a lecturer who had previously unsuccessfully contested two general elections at Twickenham and Burton-upon-Trent.Labour's Choice for Wednesbury 21 January 1957 4 The Conservatives chose Peter Tapsell, a former member of the Conservative Research Department.Conservative Choice The Times 5 January 1957 3 An independent candidate, Wolverhampton solicitor and businessman Michael John Wade (1928-86) announced his candidacy hours before the close of nominations on 18 February, and went on to fight the election ‘on the cost of living issue alone’.Independent Candidate Steps In At Wednesbury 19 February 1957 4 The Times; News Chronicle, 01 March 1957; Birth and death records from www.ancestry.co.uk. Wade said, ‘freeze wages, and prices will come down’. Asked about American policy on Suez, he said, ‘tell them there are still some British bulldogs about’.Birmingham Daily Post, 23 February 1957. In 1958, Wade saw national news coverage as the director of a Wolverhampton ballroom which operated a colour bar.Daily Express, 18 June 1958, News Chronicle, 08 July 1958, Daily Mirror, 19 August 1958. In July 1959, he was convicted of business fraud and sentenced to four years' imprisonment.Staffordshire Sentinel, 04 July 1959. Result Stonehouse held the seat for Labour with an increased majority.Labour Holds Wednesbury The Times 1 March 1957 8 Wednesbury by-election 1957http://by-elections.co.uk/57.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120329041134/http://by-elections.co.uk/57.html 1957 By Election Results 2012-03-29 dead 2015-08-14 Labour Party (UK) John Stonehouse 22,235 62.17 +1.77 Conservative Party (UK) Peter Tapsell 9,999 27.96 -11.64 Independent (politics) Michael John Wade 3,529 9.87 New 12,236 34.21 +13.51 35,763 Labour Party (UK) References Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Staffordshire constituencies Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in West Midlands (county) constituencies Wednesbury by-election Wednesbury by-election Wednesbury by-election Category:20th century in Staffordshire