1963 Colne Valley by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 The 1963 Colne Valley by-election was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Colne Valley on 21 March 1963. Vacancy The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Labour MP, Glenvil Hall, on 13 October 1962. He had held the seat since a 1939 by-election. Election history Colne Valley had been won by Labour at every election since 1935, when they had gained the seat from the Liberals. The result at the previous general election was as follows; General election 1959: Colne Valley Labour Party (UK) Glenvil Hall 19,284 44.3 -9.9 Conservative Party (UK) Christopher J. Barr 13,030 29.9 -15.9 Liberal Party (UK) Richard Wainwright 11,254 25.8 New 6,254 14.4 +6.0 43,568 84.1 Labour Party (UK) Candidates Labour selected 43-year-old Patrick Duffy. He had contested Tiverton in 1950, 1951 and 1955. Duffy was a lecturer at Leeds University from 1950 to 1963, who had been educated at the London School of Economics and Columbia University, New York City.The Times House of Commons 1964 The Conservatives selected 28-year-old outsider, Andrew Alexander, a journalist and leader writer. Alexander was educated at Lancing College, and a former member of Dorchester Borough Council. He was a past chairman of North Kensington Young Conservatives and Dorchester Young Conservatives.The Times House of Commons 1964 The Liberals re-selected 44-year-old Leeds man Richard Wainwright. He had contested Pudsey in 1950 and 1955 and Colne Valley in 1959. Wainwright was a chartered accountant, educated at Shrewsbury School and Clare College, Cambridge. He was a Member of the Liberal Party Committee and Council, and chairman of the Liberal Party Organization Department from 1955 to 1957.The Times House of Commons 1964 An independent candidate, Arthur Fox, also stood. He was well-known as the owner of the "Revue Bar", a Manchester striptease club and an author on the subject.Arthur Fox – Manchester’s King of Glamour A total of 174 people serving in the Armed Forces applied for nomination papers to stand in the election, to avail of the automatic military discharge for Parliamentary candidates publicised by Malcolm Thompson at the 1962 Middlesbrough West by-election. Whereas Thompson's name had appeared on the ballot paper, by 1963 it was widely known that merely applying for papers sufficed for a discharge, without needing to submit the papers or pay an electoral deposit. The military rules for election discharge were tightened after the following week's Rotherham by-election.Leonard Dick Mortimore Roger Elections in Britain: A Voter's Guide 2001 Palgrave New York 978-0-333-91799-2 86–87 4th https://archive.org/details/electionsinbrita0000leon/page/86/mode/2up registration Open Library https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1962/dec/18/parliamentary-elections-service 18 December 1962 Commons 669 1086 1089 Parliamentary Elections (Service Candidates) F. W. S. Craig F. W. S. Craig Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections 129 London Macmillan 333 17152 7 https://archive.org/details/minorpartiesatbr0000crai/page/129 Feron James 175 'candidates' Avoid Yorkshire; Servicemen Having Second Thoughts on Election; Servicemen Screened; 2 Other Elections Slated https://www.nytimes.com/1963/03/11/archives/175-candidates-avoid-yorkshire-servicemen-having-second-thoughts-on.html 11 December 2025 The New York Times 11 March 1963 3 en Campaign The election campaign was a long one, with polling day not taking place until five months after the death of the previous MP. The main themes of Wainwright's Liberal campaign were State Pensions being tied to the cost of living index, creating a new Ministry of Employment, and no more nationalisation.Wainwright's election material Result The Labour vote share held up, while the Liberals gained support at the expense of the Conservatives. Significantly, Wainwright had managed to push the Conservative candidate into third place. Colne Valley by-election, 1963http://www.by-elections.co.uk/63.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120225141806/http://www.by-elections.co.uk/63.html 1963 By Election Results 2012-02-25 dead 2015-08-17 (Electorate 51,397) Labour Party (UK) Patrick Duffy 18,033 44.5 +0.2 Liberal Party (UK) Richard Wainwright 15,994 39.5 +13.7 Conservative Party (UK) Andrew Alexander 6,238 15.4 -14.5 Independent (politician) Arthur Fox 266 0.6 New 2,039 5.0 -9.4 40,531 78.9 -5.2 Labour Party (UK) -6.8 Aftermath All three main party candidates did battle again at the following general election. Wainwright further closed the gap on the Labour Party. The result at the 1964 general election was; General election 1964 (Electorate 52,006) Labour Party (UK) Patrick Duffy 18,537 42.0 -2.5 Liberal Party (UK) Richard Wainwright 18,350 41.6 +2.1 Conservative Party (UK) Andrew Alexander 7,207 16.3 +0.9 187 0.4 -4.6 44,094 84.8 +5.3 Labour Party (UK) -2.3 Wainwright eventually defeated Duffy at the 1966 general election, but was himself defeated in the 1970 general election before regaining it in February 1974, subsequently holding it until his retirement in 1987. Duffy went on to become the MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, serving from 1970 to 1992. References Bibliography Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com By-Elections in British Politics by Cook and Ramsden Wainwright's election material: https://web.archive.org/web/20120507020835/http://www.by-elections.co.uk/colne63/Liberal.html See also List of United Kingdom by-elections United Kingdom by-election records Category:1963 in England Category:Elections in Kirklees Category:1963 elections in the United Kingdom Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in West Yorkshire constituencies Category:1960s in Yorkshire