1990 Eastbourne by-election

UK parliamentary by-election 1990 Eastbourne by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Constituency of Eastbourne no 1987 United Kingdom general election 1987 18 October 1990 David Bellotti Liberal Democrats (UK) 23,415 50.8% 21.1% Richard Hickmet Conservative Party (UK) 18,865 41.0% 18.9% Charlotte Atkins Labour Party (UK) 2,308 5.0% 3.8% MP Elected MP Ian Gow Conservative Party (UK) David Bellotti Liberal Democrats (UK) 60.7% ( 14.9%) 1992 United Kingdom general election 1992 November 2019 July 2009 The 1990 Eastbourne by-election was a by-election held on 18 October 1990 for the UK House of Commons constituency of Eastbourne in East Sussex. Background The by-election was caused by the death of the town's Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) Ian Gow, who was killed on 30 July 1990 by a bomb placed under his car by the Provisional IRA. The result was a victory for the Liberal Democrat candidate David Bellotti, who defeated former Conservative MP Richard Hickmet by a majority of 4,550 votes and with more than half the votes cast. The loss came as a shock to many Conservatives who had expected (not least given the circumstances under which the by-election was held, as well as the fact that it had been retained by a majority of more than 16,000 votes in 1987) that they would retain the seat. Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe sent a message to voters saying that the IRA would be "toasting their success".The Guardian :Ask Aristotle, Andrew Roth, 20 March 2001 It was a welcome success for the Liberal Democrats, formed in March 1988, after some disastrous early local and European election showings, as well as dismal showings in opinion polls. It came at a time when Conservative support was slumping and Labour was enjoying a comfortable lead in the opinion polls, largely due to the unpopular introduction of poll tax by the Conservative government.http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/top-ten-lib-dem-breakthrough-moments/ Top Ten: Lib Dem 'breakthrough moments' ePolitix.com 2010-04-24 2010-12-18 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20100512171830/http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/top-ten-lib-dem-breakthrough-moments/ 2010-05-12 The Liberal Democrats, whose newly adopted party emblem was a 'bird of liberty', had been compared by Margaret Thatcher in a Conservative Party conference speech on 12 October to a "dead parrot".Seldon Anthony Daniel Collings Britain under Thatcher 2014 Routledge 59 The shock defeat contributed to the end of Thatcher's premiership in November 1990 as Conservative MPs worried if they could hold their seats at a general election if she remained prime minister.Seldon Anthony Daniel Collings Britain under Thatcher 2014 Routledge 60 Result By-election 1990: Eastbournehttp://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1987.html Results of Byelections in the 1987-92 Parliament Boothroyd David 2015-10-01 United Kingdom Election Results Liberal Democrats (UK) David Bellotti 23,415 50.8 +21.1 Conservative Party (UK) Richard Hickmet 18,865 41.0 −18.9 Labour Party (UK) Charlotte Atkins 2,308 5.0 −3.8 Green Party of England and Wales David Aherne 553 1.2 −0.4 Liberal Party (UK, 1989) Theresia Williamson 526 1.1 New Corrective Party Lady Whiplash 216 0.5 New National Front (UK) John McAuley 154 0.3 New Ironside Party Eric Page 35 0.1 New 4,550 9.8 N/A 46,072 60.7 −14.9 Liberal Democrats (UK) Conservative Party (UK) +20.0 References Bibliography British Parliamentary by-elections:Campaign literature from the by-election UK General Election results June 1987: Eastbourne See also List of United Kingdom by-elections Eastbourne constituency 1925 Eastbourne by-election 1932 Eastbourne by-election 1935 Eastbourne by-election Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in East Sussex constituencies Eastbourne by-election Eastbourne by-election Eastbourne by-election Category:1990s in East Sussex Category:Politics of Eastbourne