South West Surrey by-election, 1984
Encyclopedia
The South West Surrey by-election, 1984 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 3 May 1984 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of South West Surrey.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Maurice Macmillan, had died suddenly at the age of 63. He had recently acquired the courtesy title
of Viscount Macmillan of Ovendon when his father (who would ultimately outlive him by nearly three years)was created the Earl of Stockton
on 24 February 1984.
Maurice Macmillan was a Cabinet minister in Edward Heath
's government in the 1970s, as well as the son of former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
. He had been South West Surrey's MP since the constituency was created for the 1983 general election
, having previously been MP for Farnham
from 1966
. Macmillan had first entered Parliament
at the 1955 general election
representing the constituency of Halifax
, but had lost his seat at the 1964 general election
.
1. Mrs Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley (born 1948), was the Conservative candidate. She was a part time psychiatric social worker, at the time of the by-election. She is married to Peter Bottomley
who has also served as a Conservative MP.
Mrs Bottomley had contested the Isle of Wight
in the 1983 general election. Subsequent to the by-election she retained the seat, until she retired from the House of Commons and was granted a Life Peerage in 2005. She served as a member of John Major
's cabinet from 1992 until 1997.
2. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
, was freelance journalist and broadcaster Gavin Douglas Scott (born 1950). Since the by-election Scott has become known as a screenwriter.
3. The Labour nominee was Mrs Barbara Maureen Roche (born 1954), a barrister. Mrs Roche has subsequently been elected to Parliament and has served as a junior minister.
4. Victor Litvin was an Independent candidate, who upset some people with his unique ballot paper label.
5. Miss Helen Mary Anscomb was an Independent candidate, who frequently contested by-elections in the 1980s.
6. Peter Reid Smith, was another Independent candidate.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 3 May 1984 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of South West Surrey.
Previous MP
The seat had become vacant on 10 March 1984. The constituency's ConservativeConservative 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), Maurice Macmillan, had died suddenly at the age of 63. He had recently acquired the courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
of Viscount Macmillan of Ovendon when his father (who would ultimately outlive him by nearly three years)was created the Earl of Stockton
Earl of Stockton
Earl of Stockton is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 24 February 1984 for Harold Macmillan, the former Conservative Prime Minister, just under three years before his death...
on 24 February 1984.
Maurice Macmillan was a Cabinet minister in Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
's government in the 1970s, as well as the son of former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
. He had been South West Surrey's MP since the constituency was created for the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, having previously been MP for Farnham
Farnham (UK Parliament constituency)
Farnham was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Surrey, in south east England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918, until it was abolished for the 1983 general election...
from 1966
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
. Macmillan had first entered Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
representing the constituency of Halifax
Halifax (UK Parliament constituency)
Halifax is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, but had lost his seat at the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
.
Candidates
Six candidates were nominated. They are listed below in descending order of votes.1. Mrs Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley (born 1948), was the Conservative candidate. She was a part time psychiatric social worker, at the time of the by-election. She is married to Peter Bottomley
Peter Bottomley
Sir Peter James Bottomley is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Worthing West...
who has also served as a Conservative MP.
Mrs Bottomley had contested the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)
Isle of Wight is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created by the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, it covers the whole of the Isle of Wight and elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system.-...
in the 1983 general election. Subsequent to the by-election she retained the seat, until she retired from the House of Commons and was granted a Life Peerage in 2005. She served as a member of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
's cabinet from 1992 until 1997.
2. The Liberal Party candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
SDP-Liberal Alliance
The SDP–Liberal Alliance was an electoral pact formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom which was in existence from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal...
, was freelance journalist and broadcaster Gavin Douglas Scott (born 1950). Since the by-election Scott has become known as a screenwriter.
3. The Labour nominee was Mrs Barbara Maureen Roche (born 1954), a barrister. Mrs Roche has subsequently been elected to Parliament and has served as a junior minister.
4. Victor Litvin was an Independent candidate, who upset some people with his unique ballot paper label.
5. Miss Helen Mary Anscomb was an Independent candidate, who frequently contested by-elections in the 1980s.
6. Peter Reid Smith, was another Independent candidate.
Votes
See also
- South West Surrey constituency
- SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...