- Croydon North West by-election, 1981
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The Croydon North West by-election took place on 22 October 1981. It was caused by the death of Conservative Member of Parliament Robert Taylor on 18 June 1981.
The Conservative Party selected John Butterfill, then vice-chairman of Guildford Conservative Association. The Labour Party, the runners-up at the 1979 general election, selected a local councillor, Stanley Boden.
The Liberal Party had come a distant third in 1979, but the by-election came shortly after the formation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), with whom the Liberals had entered into an electoral pact, the SDP-Liberal Alliance. It was therefore expected that the election would provide a platform for Shirley Williams of the SDP to return to Parliament, having lost her seat in 1979. However, the Liberal Party insisted on their own candidate and selected the lesser known Bill Pitt who had stood in the seat for the previous three general elections and at the time was the London Regional Party Chair.
22-year-old Nick Griffin (who became leader of the British National Party in 1999) stood in his first election in Croydon North West, representing the National Front. In total, a record twelve candidates stood, one more than in the Lambeth Central by-election, 1978. This record would be broken at the Chesterfield by-election, 1984.
Pitt duly won the seat on the surge of support for the Alliance and a 24% swing, strengthening the Liberals' hand in negotiations with the SDP.
Contents
Results
By-election 1981 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Bill Pitt 13,800 40.0 29.5 Conservative John Butterfill 10,546 30.5 -18.9 Labour Stanley Boden 8,967 26.0 -14.1 National Front Nick Griffin 429 1.2 Independent Pro-Life Marilyn Gillies Carr 340 1.0 Ecology John Foster 155 0.4 Nationalist Party Suzan McKenzie 111 0.3 Disabled War Pensioners Association Lawrence Brooks 81 0.2 Democratic Monarchist, Public Safety, White Resident Bill Boaks 51 0.1 Family Law Reform Party George Major 31 0.1 London Federation of Self-Employed Josef Joseph 20 0.1 Anti-Common Market - Free Trade Stephen Done 11 0.0 Majority 3,254 9.5 Turnout 34,542 62.5 -10 Liberal gain from Conservative Swing General Election result, 1979
General Election 1979: Croydon North West Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Robert Taylor 19,928 49.4 Labour Stanley Boden 16,159 40.1 Liberal Bill Pitt 4,239 10.5 Majority 3,769 Turnout 40,326 72.5 Conservative hold Swing External links
See also
« 47th Parliament « By-elections to the 48th Parliament of the United Kingdom » 49th Parliament » 1979 1980 1981 April: Fermanagh and South Tyrone · July: Warrington · August: Fermanagh and South Tyrone · October: Croydon North West · November: Crosby1982 March: Belfast South · Glasgow Hillhead · May: Beaconsfield · June: Mitcham and Morden · Coatbridge and Airdrie · September: Gower · October: Birmingham Northfield · Peckham · December: Glasgow Queens Park1983 Categories:- 1981 elections in the United Kingdom
- Politics of Croydon
- By-elections to the United Kingdom Parliament in London constituencies
- History of Croydon
- 1981 in London
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