1989 Glasgow Central by-election

UK parliamentary by-election 1989 Glasgow Central by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Constituency of Glasgow Central no 1987 United Kingdom general election 1987 1992 United Kingdom general election 1992 15 June 1989 Mike Watson x160px Labour Party (UK) 14,480 54.6% 9.9% Alex Neil x160px Scottish National Party 8,018 30.2% 20.3% Allan Hogarth Con Conservative Party (UK) 2,028 7.6% 5.4% MP Subsequent MP Bob McTaggart Labour Party (UK) Mike Watson Labour Party (UK) 52.9% (12.7%)November 2020 November 2013 The 1989 Glasgow Central by-election, in the Glasgow Central constituency, was held on 15 June 1989. It was caused by the death of the sitting UK Member of Parliament, Bob McTaggart. The Scottish National Party had high hopes of repeating their victory from the previous year at the by-election for the Glasgow Govan seat, where Jim Sillars gained the seat from Labour. For Glasgow Central, the SNP chose a close associate of their Govan victor Alex Neil. However, the hope for victory did not transpire for the SNP, as Mike Watson retained the seat for the Labour Party with a 6,462 majority, despite a 20.3% rise in the SNP share of the votes cast. The day after the election, The Glasgow Herald described the result as "the revenge" Labour sought for their by-election defeat in Govan 7 months earlier.Clark William Henderson Connie Central heads night of poll joy for Labour https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19890616&printsec=frontpage&hl=en 21 June 2018 The Glasgow Herald 16 June 1989 The SNP blamed opinion polls in the latter stages of the election campaign which showed them trailing Labour, arguing these stalled their momentum. Winner Mike Watson argued that the result showed that "The SNP bandwagon is off the rails", although SNP spokesman Chris McLean denied that the result was a setback, pointing out that they had significantly increased their vote share. The Liberal Democrats fell to fifth place, the worst position achieved by a major party at any British by-election since the 1976 Walsall North by-election. This was equalled in the Henley by-election in 2008, when Labour also fell to fifth, and surpassed in the Glasgow North East by-election in 2009, when the Liberal Democrats came sixth. Their 1.6% vote share remained the lowest percentage vote for the Liberal Democrats until they entered the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition in 2010, and in fact was not beaten until the South Shields by-election three years into their time in government. This was also the only parliamentary contest engaged in by the Scottish Socialist Party that existed at the time (which should not be confused with the present day Scottish Socialist Party). Their candidate was Bill Kidd. Result Glasgow Central by-election, 1989http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1987.html Results of Byelections in the 1987–92 Parliament Boothroyd David 1 October 2015 United Kingdom Election Results https://web.archive.org/web/20151120002350/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1987.html 20 November 2015 dead Labour Party (UK) Mike Watson 14,480 54.6 -9.9 Scottish National Party Alex Neil 8,018 30.2 +20.3 Conservative Party (UK) Allan Hogarth 2,028 7.6 -5.4 Green Party (UK) Irene Brandt 1,019 3.8 +2.9 Liberal Democrats (UK) Robert McCreadie 411 1.5 -9.0 Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988) Peter Kerr 253 1.0 N/A Revolutionary Communist Party (UK, 1978) Linda Murdoch 141 0.5 New Scottish Socialist Bill Kidd 137 0.5 New Workers Revolutionary Party (UK) David Lettice 48 0.2 New 6,462 24.4 -27.1 26,535 52.9 -12.7 Labour Party (UK) -15.1 General Election 1987: Glasgow Central Labour Party (UK) Bob McTaggart 21,619 64.5 +11.5 Conservative Party (UK) B. Jenkin 4,366 13.0 -6.0 Liberal Party (UK) J. Bryden 3,528 10.5 -6.2 Scottish National Party A. Wilson 3,339 10.0 -0.3 Green Party (UK) A. Brooks 290 0.9 New Communist Party of Great Britain J. McGoldrick 265 0.8 -0.3 Red Front (UK) D. Owen 126 0.4 New 17,253 51.5 +17.5 33,533 65.6 +2.8 Labour Party (UK) References See also Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency) Elections in Scotland List of United Kingdom by-elections Glasgow Central by-election Glasgow Central by-election Category:1980s elections in Scotland Glasgow Central by-election Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Glasgow constituencies Category:1980s in Glasgow