BY-ELECTIONS IN BRITISH POLITICS

BY-ELECTIONS IN BRITISH POLITICS

Also by Chris Cook ELECTION '70 (with David McKie) THE DECADE OF DISILLUSION (with David McKie) EUROPEAN POLITICAL FACTS, Igi8-72 (with John Paxton)

By-Elections in British Politics Edited by CHRIS COOK Director, Historical Records Project, London School of Economics and JOHN RAMSDEN Lecturer in History, Queen Mary College, University of London With an Introduction by DAVID BUTLER Fell ow of N uffield College, Oxford Palgrave Macmillan

ISBN 978-1-349-01709-6 ISBN 978-1-349-01707-2 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-01707-2 Selection, editorial matters, Notes and Appendixes Chris Cook and john Ramsden I973 Chapter I David Butler I973 Chapter 2 John Ramsden I973 Chapter 3 Chris Cook I973 Chapter 4 Gillian Peele I973 Chapter 5 Martin Ceadel I973 Chapter 6 lain McLean I973 Chapter 7 Paul Addison I973 Chapter 8 Ken Young I 973 Chapter 9 David McKie I973 Chapter 10 JohnRamsdenandRichardJay I973 Chapter 11 Matthew Oakeshott I 973 Chapter 12 Stan Taylor and Clive Payne I973 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1973 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission. First published I973 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Associated companies in New York Dublin Melbourne Johannesburg and Madras SBN 333 14325 6

To the Warden and Fellows of N uffield College, Oxford

Contents Introduction and Acknowledgements Notes on the Contributors page ix Xl 1. By-Elections and their Interpretation by DAVID BUTLER 2. The Newport By-Election and the Fall of the Coalition by JOHN RAMSDEN 3 By-Elections of the First Labour Government 44 by CHRIS COOK Note: 1924 to 1931 72 by CHRIS COOK and JOHN RAMSDEN 4 St George's and the Empire Crusade by GILLIAN PEELE Note: 1931 to 1939 by JOHN RAMSDEN 5 Interpreting East Fulham by MAR TIN CEADEL 6. Oxford and Bridgwater by lain McLEAN 7 By-Elections of the Second World War by PAUL ADDISON Note: 1945 to 1960 by CHRIS COOK I 79 109 118 191

Vlll BY-ELECTIONS IN BRITISH POLITICS 8. Orpington and the 'Liberal Revival' 198 by KEN YOUNG g. By-Elections of the Wilson Government 223 by DAVID McKIE 10. Lincoln: The Background to Taverne's Triumph 264 by JOHN RAMSDEN and RICHARD JAY 11. Towards an Economic Theory of By-Elections 316 since the War by MATTHEW OAKESHOTT 12. Features of Electoral Behaviour at By-Elections 330 by STAN TAYLOR and CLIVE PAYNE Appendix A: The Results of Contested By-Elections 359 Appendix B: Summary Tables 387 Appendix C: Bibliography 390 Appendix D: Index of Outstanding Results 392 Appendix E: Index of Persons 401

Introduction and Acknowledgements The idea which lies behind this book originated in discussions between a number of Fellows and Students ofnuffield College in the autumn of 1971. It was further discussed and defined at a conference held at N uffield College in the December of that year, and attended by, among others, most of the authors of the present volume. It soon became clear that the interpretation of by-elections in their historical and political contexts would require a wide variety of approaches. Just as no measure of electoral change is satisfactory for the whole period covered by the book, so no single method of description or analysis was felt to be possible - or indeed desirable - for the by-elections which we wished to describe and analyse. For Newport or StGeorge's, concentration on the naturally dramatic events of a single campaign was felt to be valid; for East Fulham, it was felt that a comparative approach was more appropriate; for 1924, the Second World War and the late 1 96os, it was felt that only by approaching a whole series of contests could any sense be made of an otherwise confusing pattern. However, even the widest of perspectives cannot bring all the diverse campaigns of over fifty years within a single framework of regimented chapters: it would be misleading to ignore the relatively unimpressive and unexciting by-elections of the 1950s, but it would be equally misleading to treat them as comparable to East Fulham or to Orpington. We have therefore provided editorial passages to cover periods which are not dealt with in specific chapters. We have also included three chapters which look at general issues rather than specific contests. Every contest is at the least a source of psephological information and, because of their small number, each result was significant at least in the short term. By-elections, with all their short-comings as indicators, continue to be more influential than opinion polls or local government elections, continue to arouse a relatively high level of participation among voters, and continue to excite newspapers and television, politicians and historians.

X BY-ELECTIONS IN BRITISH POLITICS It will be clear from the above that the editors owe a considerable debt to the Warden and Fellows ofnuffield College, whose generosity made the planning and writing of this book possible. They would also like to thank Dr P. G. Pulzer and Mr F. W. S. Craig for assistance at the planning stage, and Professor M. Beloff, Mr P. ]. Forsyth, Dr G. C. L. Hazlehurst, Mr A. Hunt, Mr A. ]. P. Taylor and Mr G. K. Wilson for general assistance and criticisms of the text. Although authors are responsible only for the sections of the book which appear under their own names, most of them have assisted the editors and each other very considerably. The diversity of the book and its unity owe much to the fact that it is the work of a team. Both diversity and unity are also due to the nature of byelections themselves. July, 1973 C. C. J.R. The editors and publishers are grateful to the First Beaverbrook Foundation for the extracts from the Beaver brook Papers; to the Han. Mrs. V. E. Butler for the extract from her father's diary; and to George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd for the extract from Baldwin: A Biography by K. Middlemas and ]. Barnes. The cartoon by John Reynolds on p. 97, from the Morning Post, I9 March I93I, is reproduced by permission of the Daily Telegraph.

Notes on the Contributors PAUL ADDISON. Born I943; educated at Pembroke College, Oxford; Student of Nuffield College, I965-7; Lecturer at Pembroke College, Oxford, I966-7; Research Assistant to the late Randolph S. Churchill; Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Edinburgh since I 967. DAVID BuTLER. Born I924; educated at New College, Oxford; Student, Research Fellow and Official Fellow at Nuffield College since 1949. Consultant to the BBC on elections; author and co-author ofnuffield College general election studies since I 95 I ; author of The Study of Political Behaviour and The Electoral System in Britain; co-author of Political Change in Britain; editor of Elections Abroad and co-editor of British Political Facts. MARTIN CEADEL. Born I948; educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Student of N uffield College, I 969-72; Research Fell ow of Jesus College, Oxford, and Lecturer in Modern History, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, I972-I973 Lecturer in History, University of Sussex, since I973 CHRIS CooK. Born 1945; educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and Oriel College, Oxford. Student of N uffield College, 1968-70; Lecturer in Politics, Magdalen College, Oxford, 196g-7o; Senior Research Officer, Political Archives Investigation, London School of Economics~ since 1970; coeditor of Election '70, The Decade of Disillusion and European Political Facts, I9I8-72 RICHARD JAY. Born 1946; educated at Brasenose College, Oxford; Student of Nuffield College, I968-71; Lecturer in Government, University of Essex, since I 971. DAVID McKIE. Born 1935; educated at Christ's Hospital and Oriel College, Oxford; joined the Guardian, becoming Deputy News Editor; on the Polititical Staff since 1972; co-editor of Election '70 and The Decade of Disillusion.

Xll BY-ELECTIONS IN BRITISH POLITICS lain McLEAN. Born 1946; educated at Christ Church, Oxford; Student and Research Fellow, Nuffield College, 1967-71. Lecturer in Politics at the University of Newcastle since 1971. MATTHEW 0AKESHOTT. Born 1947; educated at University College, Oxford; Economist, Kenya Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, 1968-70; Student of Nuffield College, I97o-2; Oxford City Councillor since 1972. Joseph Rowntree Political Fellow working for Rt Hon. Roy Jenkins, MP, since I972 CLIVE PAYNE. Born 1942; educated at Southampton University and University ofwales, Aberystwyth; Assistant Lecturer in Statistics, Aberystwyth, I966-8; Lecturer in Computing, University of Strathclyde, I 968-9; Director of Research Services Unit, Nuffield College, since 1969; author of various articles on statistical and computing methods in the social sciences; computing consultant to the BBC for general election coverage since I969. GILLIAN PEELE. Born 1949; educated at Durham University and St Anne's College, Oxford; Student of Nuffield College I971-3; member of Gray's Inn; Lecturer in Politics, St Catherine's College, Oxford, since I972. Research Fellow, St Antony's College, Oxford, since 1973. JOHN RAMSDEN. Born 1947; educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Student of N uffield College, 1969-72; Lecturer in Modern History, Queen Mary College, University of London, since 1972. STANT AYLOR. Born 1948; educated at Newcastle University; Student of Nuffield College, I970-3. Lecturer in Politics, University of Warwick, since 1973. KEN YOUNG. Born 1943; educated at London School of Economics; Lecturer in Politics, Goldsmiths' College, London, 1968-9; Research Officer, Government Research Division, London School of Economics, since 1969; associate editor of Policy and Politics.