Ribble Valley by-election, 1991

The Ribble Valley by-election, in Lancashire, England, was called in 1991 following the elevation of United Kingdom MP David Waddington to the House of Lords.

The seat was a safe Conservative constituency, based largely on the market town of Clitheroe, but at the time the controversial Margaret Thatcher government policy of "Poll Tax" was used by opposition parties as a policy against the Conservative candidate.

The then young Liberal Democrats had only been formed three years earlier, but had scored by-election "scalps" by winning formerly safe seats, although these were rarely held at subsequent general elections. Indeed, despite their victory at Ribble Valley, the LibDems lost the seat a little over a year later at the the next election

Votes

Election box begin
title=Ribble Valley by-election, 1991Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Michael Carr
votes = 22,377
percentage = 48.5
change = +27.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Nigel Evans
votes = 17,776
percentage = 38.5
change = -22.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Josephine Farrington
votes = 4,356
percentage = 9.5
change = -8.3Election box candidate
party = Independent Conservative
candidate = David Brass
votes = 611
percentage = 1.3
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party (UK)
candidate = Halldora Ingham
votes = 466
percentage = 1.0
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
candidate = Screaming Lord Sutch
votes = 278
percentage = 0.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
candidate = Simon Taylor
votes = 133
percentage = 0.3
change = Election box candidate
party = Independent - Corrective Party
candidate = Lindi St Claire
votes = 72
percentage = 0.2
change = Election box candidate
party = Raving Loony Green Giant Clitheroe Kid
candidate = Stuart Hughes
votes = 60
percentage = 0.1
change = Election box majority
votes = 4,601
percentage = 10.0
change = Election box turnout
votes = 46,129
percentage = 71.1
change = Election box gain with party link
winner = Liberal Democrats (UK)
loser = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

Notes on Candidates

* Nigel Evans regained the Ribble Valley seat for the Conservatives in the 1992 election and has held it ever since.
* Michael Carr remains the only successful Liberal Democrat MP in the current boundaries of Lancashire
* The BBC Radio comedian Jimmy Clitheroe had a long-running series under the name "The Clitheroe Kid" during the 1950s and 1960s. Clitheroe is the main town in the constituency.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/by_elections/ribble91.html British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election]

ee also

*List of United Kingdom by-elections
*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire