Fulham by-election, 1986
Encyclopedia
The Fulham
by-election
, in Fulham
, on 10 April 1986 was held following the death of the Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) Martin Stevens
on 10 January that year. In a seat that had changed hands on a few occasions, it was won by Nick Raynsford
of Labour
, only to be regained by the Tories in the general election
14 months later.
Fulham (UK Parliament constituency)
Fulham was a borough constituency based around the London district of Fulham. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1918 and from 1955 to 1997....
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, on 10 April 1986 was held following the death of the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) Martin Stevens
Martin Stevens
Martin Stevens was a British Conservative Party politician.Stevens was educated at Orley Farm School, Bradfield and Trinity College, Oxford, and was a company director. He served as a member of the London County Council from 1955–58 and a councillor on Camberwell Borough Council from...
on 10 January that year. In a seat that had changed hands on a few occasions, it was won by Nick Raynsford
Nick Raynsford
Wyvill Richard Nicolls Raynsford , known as Nick Raynsford, is a British Labour Party politician. A government minister from 1997 to 2005, he has been the Member of Parliament for Greenwich & Woolwich since 1997, having previously been MP for Greenwich from 1992 to 1997, and for Fulham from 1986...
of Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, only to be regained by the Tories in the general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
14 months later.
Candidates
- Jane BirdwoodJane BirdwoodJane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood was the wife of Lord Birdwood and a political figure on the far right in the United Kingdom who took part in a number of movements.-Early life:...
was a veteran activist on the far rightFar rightFar-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
who was variously associated with the National FrontBritish National FrontThe National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
and British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. - James Black advocated the right of Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to directly elect its own government and was a leading member of the British and Irish Communist OrganisationBritish and Irish Communist OrganisationThe British and Irish Communist Organisation was a small but highly influential group based in London, Belfast, Cork, and Dublin. Its leader was Brendan Clifford. The group produced a great number of pamphlets, and many regular publications including, The Irish Communist and Workers Weekly in...
. - Matthew CarringtonMatthew Carrington (UK politician)Matthew Hadrian Marshall Carrington was Conservative Member of Parliament for Fulham from 1987 to 1997.He studied at Imperial College London from 1966-1969 during which time he chaired the Imperial College Conservative Society...
captured the seat for the Conservatives at the following election. - John Creighton was the owner of a local wineWineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
shop. - Liza Duke called for the abolition of Parliament.
- Roger LiddleRoger LiddleRoger John Liddle, Lord Liddle is a British political adviser and consultant who is principally known for being Special Adviser on European matters to Tony Blair and for working together with Peter Mandelson on books outlining the political philosophy of the Labour Party under Blair's leadership...
later went on to become an adviser to Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Peter MandelsonPeter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
. - Nick RaynsfordNick RaynsfordWyvill Richard Nicolls Raynsford , known as Nick Raynsford, is a British Labour Party politician. A government minister from 1997 to 2005, he has been the Member of Parliament for Greenwich & Woolwich since 1997, having previously been MP for Greenwich from 1992 to 1997, and for Fulham from 1986...
would later return to Parliament as MP for GreenwichGreenwich (UK Parliament constituency)Greenwich was a parliamentary constituency in South-East London, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1997 by the first past the post system.-History:...
and Greenwich & Woolwich. - Rev. Geoffrey Rolph represented the Fellowship PartyFellowship PartyThe Fellowship Party was the oldest environmentalist political party in England. It opposed nuclear power and all weapons. Its national petition against nuclear weapons tests led to the forming of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament....
, which supported pacifismPacifismPacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and opposed nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
. - Reginald Simmerson, a regular by-election candidate, campaigned against British membership of the European Community. Following his death in 1998 the Anti-Common Market LeagueAnti-Common Market LeagueGet Britain Out is a British Eurosceptic organisation.The group was set up in 1961 in response to the failed attempt by Britain to enter the European Economic Community the previous year. Led by John Paul and Michael Shay, the group was initially restricted to Conservative Party members...
established a prize in his memory. - Jon Swinden ran for the Humanist Party which advocates the humanismHumanismHumanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
of Mario Rodríguez CobosMario Rodríguez CobosSilo —pseudonym of Mario Luis Rodríguez Cobos — was an Argentine writer and founder of the Humanist Movement....
. - David Sutch was the founder and leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony PartyOfficial Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
.