Tyne Bridge by-election, 1985
Encyclopedia
The Tyne Bridge by-election, 1985 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 5 December 1985 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Tyne Bridge
.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Harry Lowes Cowans
(19 December 1932 - 3 October 1985) died.
Cowans was elected MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central at a 1976 by-election. After boundary changes, he was elected for Tyne Bridge
in 1983.
1. Representing the Labour Party was David Gordon Clelland (born June 27, 1943), who was 42 years old at the time of the by-election. He was a member of the Engineering Union, who had worked on the shop floor for 22 years before being made redundant. He was secretary of a local government association and was leader of Gateshead Council at the time of the by-election.
Clelland has (as at June 2008) been the Member of Parliament
for Tyne Bridge
since 1985.
Following boundary changes the seat of Tyne Bridge will be abolished and replaced by a new seat of Gateshead
at the next Parliamentary election. Following a close fought contest with Sharon Hodgson
, the MP for Gateshead East and Washington West, Clelland was chosen to fight the election for the Labour Party.
2. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, representing the SDP-Liberal Alliance
, was Rod Kenyon
. He was a Personnel Manager for Northern Gas and was aged 40 at the time of the by-election. He had contested the seat of Houghton and Washington in the 1983 general election.
3. The Conservative candidate was Mrs. Jacqueline Anne "Jacqui" Lait
(born on 16 December 1947), a then 37 year old with a Westminster and European Parliamentary Consultancy.
Since 1985 Mrs. Lait has served in the House of Commons, first representing Hastings and Rye from 1992 until she was defeated in the 1997 general election. She was then returned, at a by-election later in 1997, as MP for Beckenham
, which (as at June 2008) she has represented ever since.
4. John Connell was an Independent, using the ballot paper label "Peace Candidate".
5. George Weiss
(born 1940) was another Independent candidate, using the ballot paper label "Captain Rainbow Universal Party (Abolish Parliament)".
6. Peter Reid Smith was an Independent candidate using the description "New National".
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 5 December 1985 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 Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tyne Bridge was a parliamentary constituency in the north east of England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1983 until 2010...
.
Previous MP
The seat fell vacant when the constituency's LabourLabour 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...
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), Harry Lowes Cowans
Harry Cowans
Harry Lowes Cowans was a British Labour Party politician.Cowans was elected Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central at a 1976 by-election. After boundary changes, he was elected for Tyne Bridge in 1983. He died in office aged 52 in 1985.- External links :...
(19 December 1932 - 3 October 1985) died.
Cowans was elected MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central at a 1976 by-election. After boundary changes, he was elected for Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tyne Bridge was a parliamentary constituency in the north east of England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1983 until 2010...
in 1983.
Candidates
Six candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election.1. Representing the Labour Party was David Gordon Clelland (born June 27, 1943), who was 42 years old at the time of the by-election. He was a member of the Engineering Union, who had worked on the shop floor for 22 years before being made redundant. He was secretary of a local government association and was leader of Gateshead Council at the time of the by-election.
Clelland has (as at June 2008) been the 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,...
for Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Tyne Bridge was a parliamentary constituency in the north east of England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1983 until 2010...
since 1985.
Following boundary changes the seat of Tyne Bridge will be abolished and replaced by a new seat of Gateshead
Gateshead (UK Parliament constituency)
Gateshead 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. A previous Gateshead constituency existed from 1832 to 1950....
at the next Parliamentary election. Following a close fought contest with Sharon Hodgson
Sharon Hodgson
Sharon Hodgson is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West since 2010...
, the MP for Gateshead East and Washington West, Clelland was chosen to fight the election for the Labour Party.
2. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) 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 Rod Kenyon
Rod Kenyon
Rod Kenyon contested Houghton le Spring and Washington in the 1983 and 1987 General Elections. In 1985 he contested the Tyne Bridge by election for the SDP-Liberal Alliance finishing second to David Clelland....
. He was a Personnel Manager for Northern Gas and was aged 40 at the time of the by-election. He had contested the seat of Houghton and Washington in the 1983 general election.
3. The Conservative candidate was Mrs. Jacqueline Anne "Jacqui" Lait
Jacqui Lait
Jacqueline Anne "Jacqui" Lait is a British Conservative Party politician and former Member of Parliament for Beckenham.-Early life:...
(born on 16 December 1947), a then 37 year old with a Westminster and European Parliamentary Consultancy.
Since 1985 Mrs. Lait has served in the House of Commons, first representing Hastings and Rye from 1992 until she was defeated in the 1997 general election. She was then returned, at a by-election later in 1997, as MP for Beckenham
Beckenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Beckenham is a parliamentary 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.-Constituency profile:...
, which (as at June 2008) she has represented ever since.
4. John Connell was an Independent, using the ballot paper label "Peace Candidate".
5. George Weiss
Rainbow George Weiss
Rainbow George Weiss son of a diamond merchant, is a fringe UK politician who stood in 13 constituencies at the 2005 General Election....
(born 1940) was another Independent candidate, using the ballot paper label "Captain Rainbow Universal Party (Abolish Parliament)".
6. Peter Reid Smith was an Independent candidate using the description "New National".
Votes
Note:- a Change from the Liberal candidate who represented the SDP-Liberal AllianceSDP-Liberal AllianceThe 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...
in the 1983 general election.
See also
- Tyne Bridge constituencyTyne Bridge (UK Parliament constituency)Tyne Bridge was a parliamentary constituency in the north east of England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1983 until 2010...
- 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...
Source
- Britain Votes/Europe Votes By-Election Supplement 1983-, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1985)