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1973 West Bromwich by-election

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1973 West Bromwich by-election

← 1970 24 May 1973

Constituency of West Bromwich
  First party Second party
 
Con
Candidate Betty Boothroyd David Bell
Party Labour Conservative
Popular vote 15,907 7,582
Percentage 53.21% 25.36%
Swing Decrease 2.02% Decrease 19.41%

  Third party Fourth party
 
NF
Ind.
Candidate Martin Webster Joshua Churchman
Party National Front Independent
Popular vote 4,789 1,616
Percentage 16.02% 5.41%
Swing N/A N/A

MP before election

Maurice Foley
Labour

Subsequent MP

Betty Boothroyd
Labour

The West Bromwich by-election of 24 May 1973 was held after the appointment of Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Foley to the European Commission. The constituency, held continuously by Labour since 1935, was retained in this by-election.

Campaign

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The election campaign was noted for the refusal of Enoch Powell, MP for neighbouring Wolverhampton South West, to endorse Conservative candidate David Bell; he felt that Bell was too far removed from his own policies on immigration and United Kingdom membership of the European Communities.[1] Although Powell did not endorse any candidate, the National Front (NF) claimed that Powell's refusal to support Bell represented tacit endorsement of itself. On polling day Martin Webster captured 16% of the vote, an all-time high for the NF, which thereby saved its deposit.

In common with a number of by-elections at the time, the Liberal Party did not compete for this seat.

Results

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West Bromwich by-election, 1973[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Betty Boothroyd 15,907 53.21 −2.02
Conservative David Bell 7,582 25.36 −19.41
National Front Martin Webster 4,789 16.02 New
Independent Joshua Churchman 1,616 5.41 New
Majority 8,325 27.85
Turnout 29,894 43.6
Labour hold Swing

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Simon Heffer, Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell, London, 1998. ISBN 0-297-84286-2, pp. 667–668
  2. ^ "1973 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2015.