1959 Harrow East by-election

UK parliamentary by-election December 2020 A by-election for the United Kingdom House of Commons was held in the constituency of Harrow East on 19 March 1959, following the resignation of sitting Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Ian Harvey. Background In November 1958, Harvey and a Guardsman from the Coldstream Guards were found in the bushes in St James's Park and arrested; Harvey tried to escape, and attempted to give a false name on arrest. Both were charged with gross indecency and breach of the park regulations; when tried on 10 December, the indecency charge was dropped and both were fined £5.BBC News, A history of Christmas scandal past, BBC News Online, 22 December 1998 Harvey subsequently resigned his ministerial post and his seat, forcing the by-election; he paid the guardsman's fine as well as his own.Alan Doig, "Westminster Babylon: Sex, money and scandal in British politics" (Allison and Busby, 1990), page 57. Candidates The by-election saw the seat held by the Conservative candidate, Anthony Courtney, with a small swing to Labour, whose candidate, the future Home Secretary Merlyn Rees, had contested the seat in 1955, and would do so again in the General Election later in 1959. A minor candidate also stood, representing the National Union of Small Shopkeepers, but he lost his deposit. Result Harrow East by-election, 1959http://www.harrow-elections.co.uk/resources/1954AppendJ.pdf Archived copy 26 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141226210759/http://www.harrow-elections.co.uk/resources/1954AppendJ.pdf 26 December 2014 deadhttp://by-elections.co.uk/59.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121010071857/http://by-elections.co.uk/59.html 1959 By Election Results 2012-10-10 dead 2015-08-15 Conservative Party (UK) Anthony T. Courtney 17,776 52.8 -1.63 Labour Party (UK) Merlyn Rees 15,546 46.2 +0.63 National Union of Small Shopkeepers Thomas Lynch 348 1.0 New 2,220 6.6 -2.2 28,795 68.96 -13.64 48,820 Conservative Party (UK) -1.1 Previous result General election 1955: Harrow East The Times' Guide to the House of Commons 1955 Conservative Party (UK) Ian Harvey 22,243 54.43 +4.58 Labour Party (UK) Merlyn Rees 18,621 45.57 +1.59 3,622 8.86 +2.98 40,864 82.62 -5.24 49,460 Conservative Party (UK) See also Harrow East constituency Lists of United Kingdom by-elections List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950–1979) References Harrow East by-election Harrow East,1959 Harrow East by-election Harrow East by-election Category:20th century in Middlesex Harrow East,1959