1971 Macclesfield by-election

UK parliamentary by-election 1971 Macclesfield by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Constituency of Macclesfield no 1970 United Kingdom general election 1970 30 September 1971 Nicholas Winterton x160px Conservative Party (UK) 24,933 44.65% 7.44% Diana Jeuda Lab Labour Party (UK) 23,854 42.71% 9.38% R. M. Hammond Lib Liberal Party (UK) 5,991 10.73% 3.85% MP Subsequent MP Arthur Vere Harvey Conservative Party (UK) Nicholas Winterton Conservative Party (UK) 200px February 1974 United Kingdom general election Feb. 1974October 2019 The 1971 Macclesfield by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 30 September 1971 for the constituency of Macclesfield in Cheshire. It was caused by the elevation to the peerage of the sitting MP, the Conservative Arthur Vere Harvey. Although this was a fairly safe seat which had been Conservative for over half a century, the party managers were concerned since the Labour party had recently won Bromsgrove with a 10.1 per cent swing and only 9.5 per cent would be required to take Macclesfield."The Times Diary Macclesfield-July or Autumn?", The Times, 5 June 1971. The Conservative candidate was Nicholas Winterton, who had previously run unsuccessfully at Newcastle-under-Lyme. Winterton had made clear his opposition to membership of the European Economic Community and it was felt that the result might be taken as a referendum on the proposed terms of entry."Market dangers persist, Tory candidate says", The Times 10 June 1971. It was reported that Douglas Hurd, the Prime Minister's political private secretary, withdrew when it became obvious that the local party preferred an anti-EEC candidate.George Clark, "Market man may stand at Macclesfield", The Times, 12 June 1971. The Labour candidate, Diana Jeuda, whose husband had previously run for the party in this constituency, was also against joining. There were two other minor anti-EEC candidates, Reginald Simmerson (Anti-Common Market) and Robert Goodall (English Resurgence Movement). Michael Hammond of the Liberal Party was the only openly pro-Europe candidate. In the course of the campaign, Winterton changed his position on the issue.David Wood, "Tories hold on with a majority of 1,079", The Times, 2 Oct 1971. The result was a narrow win for the Conservatives, with a majority down from over 10,000 at the general election to just 1,079.David Wood, "Tories hold on with a majority of 1,079", The Times, 2 Oct 1971. Macclesfield by-election, 1971http://by-elections.co.uk/71.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120329040730/http://by-elections.co.uk/71.html 1970 -71 By Election Results 2012-03-29 dead 2015-09-08 Conservative Party (UK) Nicholas Winterton 24,933 44.65 -7.44 Labour Party (UK) Diana Jeuda 23,854 42.71 +9.38 Liberal Party (UK) R. M. Hammond 5,991 10.73 -3.85 Anti-Common Market Party Reginald Simmerson 976 1.75 New English National Resurgence Robert Goodall 92 0.16 New 1,079 1.94 -16.82 55,846 Conservative Party (UK) References Macclesfield by-election Macclesfield by-election Macclesfield by-election Category:20th century in Cheshire Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Cheshire constituencies Category:Macclesfield