1997 Winchester by-election

English parliamentary by-election September 2020 March 2012 October 2011 1997 Winchester by-election United Kingdom parliamentary no 1997 United Kingdom general election May 1997 2001 United Kingdom general election 2001 20 November 1997 68.7% Mark Oaten Liberal Democrats (UK) 37,006 68.0% 26.0pp Gerry Malone Conservative Party (UK) 15,450 28.4% 13.6pp MP Gerry Malone Mark Oaten Conservative Party (UK) Liberal Democrats (UK) A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Winchester was held on 20 November 1997 after its result at the general election the previous May was declared void. Mark Oaten of the Liberal Democrats won the seat with a wafer-thin majority of two votes over Conservative Gerry Malone earlier in the year, but following a legal challenge, a new election was allowed by the High Court. Oaten was re-elected with a drastically increased majority of 21,556. Controversy over confusing and deceptive candidate descriptions played a role in dispute over the initial general election result, and paved the way for the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 which outlawed the practice. The 1997 Beckenham by-election was held on the same day. History At the general election on 1 May 1997, Mark Oaten was originally declared the winner, with a majority of two votes over Conservative Gerry Malone, 20 hours after counting began, with many recounts and haggling over spoilt ballots.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1997/uk_politics/winchester_by-election/30289.stm The run-up to the Winchester by-election BBC News 21 November 1997 10 November 2020 Oaten was unseated on an electoral petition on 6 October 1997. The High Court held that 54 votes declared void for want of the official mark would have changed the result if counted. The court could not be sure they were not the product of a mistake, therefore deemed that the result was uncertain. They allowed the petition and declared the election void. The writ for the new election was moved on 28 October 1997.http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP01-36/RP01-36.pdf By-election results: 1997–2000 Bryn Morgan 29 March 2001 Research paper 01/36 House of Commons Library 6 November 2010 11 The by-election on 20 November resulted in a clear win by Oaten – his majority was 21,556 over second placed Malone. Campaigning had focused on Oaten's speaking record in the House of Commons after the general election,Castle Stephen Tory tries the woolly pully way to power https://www.independent.co.uk/news/tory-tries-the-woolly-pully-way-to-power-1294333.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/tory-tries-the-woolly-pully-way-to-power-1294333.html 1 May 2022 subscription 17 April 2012 The Independent 16 November 1997 while the nature of the controversial 1 May election result was also an issue for some Liberal Democrat voters. The Independent wrote, "Although careful not to articulate it themselves, their unofficial campaign slogan is: 'When the umpire gives you out, you should walk, alluding to the unseated Malone. The Labour Party obtained their worst ever results in a parliamentary election at the time, in part because they hardly campaigned at all and instead focused their priorities on the by-election in Beckenham held on the same day, which they also failed to win. The Winchester by-election remained Labour's worst-ever result until 2021, when they polled 1.6 per cent of the vote in the Chesham and Amersham by-election, again won by the Lib Dems. Both the original and rerun election involved an incidence of a candidate using an attempted confusing description. Richard Huggett described himself in the general election as Liberal Democrat Top Choice For Parliament (leading to Oaten, the official Lib Dem candidate, to use the ballot paper description Liberal Democrat Leader Paddy Ashdown) and in the by election as Literal Democrat Mark Here to Win.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/election-97-for-some-the-war-is-not-yet-over-1251577.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/election-97-for-some-the-war-is-not-yet-over-1251577.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Election 97: for some, the war is not yet over The Independent 20 July 1997 10 November 2020 The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 put an end to this practice.https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/a-liberal-approach-the-first-of-a-series-of-articles-on-political-parties-talking-to-the-lib-dems-lawyers-about-nerve-jangling-moments-waiting-for-recounts-and-tackling-courtroom-dramas-/21629.article A liberal approach -- the first of a series of articles on political parties, talking to the Lib Dems' lawyers about nerve-jangling moments waiting for recounts and tackling courtroom dramas The Law Society Gazette 12 April 2001 12 November 2020 This was also the last election in which Screaming Lord Sutch, founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, ran for a parliamentary seat. He died by suicide in June 1999.https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/sep/01/uk.politicalnews Madcap maverick of politics hid his life of despair Millar Stuart 1999-08-31 The Guardian 2020-02-04 en-GB 0261-3077 Result By election 1997: Winchester Liberal Democrats (UK) Mark Oaten 37,006 68.0 +26.0 Conservative Party (UK) Gerry Malone 15,450 28.4 −13.6 Labour Party (UK) Patrick Davies 944 1.7 −8.8 UK Independence Party Robin Page 521 1.0 +0.2 Official Monster Raving Loony Party Lord David Sutch 316 0.6 +0.1 "Literal Democrat Mark Here to Win" Richard Huggett 59 0.1 −0.9 Natural Law Party Rosemary Barry 48 0.1 New Independent Conservative Roger Everest 40 0.1 New 21,556 39.6 N/A 54,384 68.7 –9.9 Liberal Democrats (UK) Conservative Party (UK) +19.8 General election result General election 1997: Winchester Liberal Democrats (UK) Mark Oaten 26,100 42.060 +4.3 Conservative Party (UK) Gerry Malone 26,098 42.057 -8.0 Labour Party (UK) Patrick Davies 6,528 10.5 +3.1 Referendum Party Peter Strand 1,598 2.6 New "Liberal Democrat Top Choice for Parliament" Richard Huggett 640 1.0 New UK Independence Party Derek Rumsey 476 0.8 New Independent politician John Browne 307 0.5 -4.2 Official Monster Raving Loony Party Peter Stockton 307 0.5 New 2 0.0 N/A 62,054 78.6 -4.6 References External links "Winchester set for bitter election re-run", The Independent, 7 Oct 1997 "Major boosts Malone's circus act", The Independent, 19 Nov 1997 "Tories in turmoil as 'No Home Malone' fails", The Independent, 22 Nov 1997 See also 1990 York North federal by-election, a by-election in Canada held under identical circumstances Category:1997 in England Category:1997 elections in the United Kingdom Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Hampshire constituencies By-election, 1997 Category:1990s in Hampshire Category:May 1997 in the United Kingdom Category:November 1997 in the United Kingdom