1977 Birmingham Stechford by-election

UK parliamentary by-election October 2017 October 2017 1977 Birmingham Stechford by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Constituency of Birmingham Stechford no October 1974 United Kingdom general election Oct. 1974 1979 United Kingdom general election 1979 31 March 1977 Andrew MacKay Con Conservative Party (UK) 15,731 43.4% 15.6% Terry Davis x160px Labour Party (UK) 13,782 38.0% 19.6% Andrew Brons NF National Front (UK) 2,955 8.2% black New Graham Gopsill Lib Liberal Party (UK) 2,901 8.0% 6.4% MP Roy Jenkins Labour Party (UK) Andrew MacKay Conservative Party (UK) The 1977 Birmingham Stechford by-election, in Birmingham, on 31 March 1977 was held after Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Roy Jenkins resigned his seat following his appointment as President of the European Commission. A seat that had been solidly Labour since its formation in 1950, it was won by Andrew MacKay of the Conservative Party, before being regained by Labour in 1979. The by-election was noted for the strong performance of the National Front candidate and the presence of two far left candidates.Full results https://web.archive.org/web/20131012020902/http://by-elections.co.uk/77.html 12 October 2013 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.Rosen, Greg (2001) Dictionary of Labour Biography, Politicos, p. 318 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.1977 by-elections https://web.archive.org/web/20131012020902/http://by-elections.co.uk/77.html 12 October 2013 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.BBC News 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.http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge79/i03.htm 1979 results 24 June 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110811162957/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge79/i03.htm 11 August 2011 dead 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.Obituary from local Liberal Democrats site https://web.archive.org/web/20100202191758/http://midworcslibdems.org.uk/news/000010/tributes_paid_to_the_late_councillor_graham_gopsill.html 2 February 2010 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.Duncan Campbell, 'Andrew Brons, the genteel face of neo-fascism', The Guardian 8 June 2009 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 Birmingham Stechford by-election, 1977http://by-elections.co.uk/77.html https://web.archive.org/web/20131012020902/http://by-elections.co.uk/77.html 1977 By Election Results 2013-10-12 dead 17 September 2015 Conservative Party (UK) Andrew MacKay 15,731 43.4 +15.6 Labour Party (UK) Terry Davis 13,782 38.0 -19.6 National Front (UK) Andrew Brons 2,955 8.2 New Liberal Party (UK) Graham Gopsill 2,901 8.0 -6.6 International Marxist Group Brian Heron 494 1.4 New Socialist Workers Party (UK) Paul Foot 377 1.0 New 1,949 5.4 N/A 36,240 Conservative Party (UK) Labour Party (UK) Previous result General election October 1974: Birmingham Stechford Labour Party (UK) Roy Jenkins 23,075 57.6 +4.5 Conservative Party (UK) D. Wedgwood 11,152 27.8 -2.4 Liberal Party (UK) Graham Gopsill 5,860 14.6 -1.4 11,923 29.8 +6.8 40,087 64.1 -8.0 Labour Party (UK) References 2 Category:1977 elections in the United Kingdom Stretchford, 1977 Category:1977 in England Category:1970s in Birmingham, West Midlands