United Kingdom by-election records
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UK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from United Kingdom 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. A constituency is the seat or division that member represented.

Prior to 1945, electoral competition in the United Kingdom exhibited features which make meaningful comparisons with modern results difficult.

Among the most significant were:

• Frequent interventions and withdrawals of parties in different seats.
• Frequent Coalitions between parties, splits within parties and floor-crossing by members.
• Uncontested elections and truces between parties, in particular during both World Wars.
• Generally more significant competition from independent candidates and minor parties.
• Multi-member seats and University seats.
• Higher frequency of by-elections.
• Generally higher turnouts, although several wartime elections exhibited the lowest recorded turnouts.
• Generally higher variation in size of constituency electorates.

Since 1945, the evolution of a stable three-party system has tended to negate each of the above features so that, broadly speaking, elections are more comparable.

In Northern Ireland, as ever, the pattern of party competition is completely different from that on the mainland and comparisons remain problematic.

Hence, unless otherwise stated records are based on results since the 1945 General Election, and earlier exceptional results are listed separately.

For comparison purposes the following definitions have been adopted.

• Gain - victory by a party which was not victorious at the immediate previous election.
• Loss - defeat of a party which was victorious at the immediate previous election.
• Hold - victory by a party which was victorious at the immediate previous election.
• Win - victory by a party. Ambiguous term that could mean either a gain or a hold.
• Incumbent - the party which held the seat at the immediate previous election, irrespective of any intervening change of candidate or candidate's change of party.
• Third party - In England, since 1922, the "third party" has been the Liberal Party and its successors, the Liberal Democrats. Additionally, in Scotland and Wales the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru are also considered to be third parties. Prior to 1922, the third party was the Labour Party.
• Minor party - parties smaller than the third party
• Uncontested - an election where only one candidate is put forward. No votes are actually cast and the candidate is by definition the victor.

Numerical records

For more information about what is meant by the term "swing", see Swing (politics)

Largest swings

Largest fall in percentage share of vote

A party's share of the vote at a general election is not always matched at subsequent by-elections, but given the five-year maximum term of a Parliament, reductions of 20% or more are unusual. Those of 25% or more are listed below:

Worst results for other parties:

Largest increase in percentage share of vote

If seats in which the nationalist party had not stood in the general election are included, the best results are:

51.4% at the Motherwell by-election, 1945, gained by the Scottish National Party.

43.2% at the Paisley by-election, 1948, held by Labour.

Largest winning share of the vote

Lowest winning share of the vote

Winning shares of the vote below 35%, since 1918:

The Stockport by-election, 1920, was held to elect two MPs. The winners' shares of the total vote were 25.6% and 25.1%. However, as each voter could cast two votes, the situation is not readily comparable to other by-elections in this period.

Lowest share of the vote

Major parties

Major parties winning 2% or less share of votes cast in a by-election, since 1918:

The worst Conservative performance was in the North Down by-election, 1995, where they took 2.1% of the votes cast.

Candidates winning fewer than ten votes

Since 1918:¹

¹ F. R. Lees, a Temperance Chartist, won no votes in the Ripon by-election, 1860, as his supporters mistakenly believed that he had withdrawn.

² Bevan made a mistake when filling out his nomination paper and put his occupation ("Systems Designer") in the space labelled 'description' which was then printed on the ballot paper. He was an independent candidate.

Smallest majorities

All majorities of less than 1,000 since the Second World War. Bold entries indicate a new record.

Still smaller majorities have been recorded since 1918. The majority in the Penrith and Cockermouth by-election, 1921, was only 31 votes, and in the Westminster Abbey by-election 1924 was 43 votes.^[1]

Turnout

Turnout is recorded as the percentage of valid votes from the total recorded vote.

Highest turnout

The highest turnouts since 1918:

• Mid Ulster by-election, 1969: 91.5%
• Mid Ulster by-election, 1955: 89.7%
• Ashton-under-Lyne by-election, 1928: 89.1%^[1]
• Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election, August 1981: 88.6%
• Mid Ulster by-election, 1956: 88.4%
• Tiverton by-election, 1923: 88.1%^[1]
• Darlington by-election, 1926: 87.6%^[1]
• Carmarthen by-election, 1957: 87.4%^[1]
• Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election, April 1981: 86.9%
• Stockport by-election, 1925: 85.7%^[1]
• Brighouse and Spenborough by-election, 1950: 85.4%^[1]

Turnout increased from general election

It is highly unusual for a by-election to attract a higher turnout in a seat than the previous general election.

Lowest turnout

During the Second World War the electoral register was not kept up to date despite significant population movements, especially in the London area (which contains all three constituencies listed below). Consequently only those eligible to vote in the constituency at the outbreak of war were eligible to vote in the by-elections and many voters were physically unable to as they were located elsewhere; in addition the major parties did not compete against each other. The lowest turnout in peacetime since 1918 was 19.9% at the Leeds Central by-election, 1999.^[1] The lowest turnouts since 1918 have been:

• Poplar South by-election, 1942: 9.3%^[1]
• Harrow by-election, 1941: 10.7%
• North Camberwell by-election, 1944: 11.2%

Most candidates

Any number of candidates can be nominated for election under current UK electoral law. There are no restrictions, with the only required stipulation (other than residency rules) being the valid nomination of ten electors from the constituency. By-elections often attract "fringe" or novelty candidates, single-issue candidates, or independents. As with nominations in a general election, candidates must pay a £500 deposit which is only refunded if the candidate wins 5% of the votes cast.

All by-elections with more than ten candidates are listed. Those which created a new record number are shown in bold.

Fewest candidates

*¹ The most recent mainland UK example

*² Four of the eight straight fights were between the Unionist incumbent and a "paper candidate" using the name "Peter Barry", the name of the then Irish Foreign Minister.

Candidate records

Durable by-election candidates

Former Labour cabinet minister Tony Benn contested no fewer than four by-elections during his career, topping the poll on each occasion: Bristol South East in 1950, Bristol South East in 1961, Bristol South East in 1963 and Chesterfield in 1984. His first and last by-election victories were 33 years and 3 months apart.

Former cabinet minister and European Commissioner Roy Jenkins fought two different by-elections for the Social Democratic Party only eight months apart. He narrowly failed in the Warrington by-election, 1981 before winning the Glasgow Hillhead by-election, 1982. He had been first elected as a Labour MP almost 34 years previously in the Southwark Central by-election, 1948.

Former Speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd finally secured election at her third by-election attempt at the West Bromwich by-election, 1973. She had previously failed in the Leicester South East by-election, 1957 and the Nelson and Colne by-election, 1968 as well as the General Elections of 1959 and 1970.

Fringe candidates Bill Boaks, Screaming Lord Sutch of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Tom Keen of the Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain contested numerous by-elections without success.

Pre-1945

Arthur Henderson was distinguished in being successful in no fewer than five by-elections in different seats, in Barnard Castle, Widnes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, Burnley, and Clay Cross.

Joseph Gibbins is the only person in modern times to gain the same seat twice in two different by-elections. He triumphed for Labour in the Liverpool West Toxteth by-election, 1924 and the Liverpool West Toxteth by-election, 1935.

William O'Brien won four by-elections, in Mallow in 1883, North East Cork in 1887 and then Cork City in 1904 and 1914. On these last two occasions, he was re-elected having resigned the seat.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill contested five by-elections in his long career:-

• Oldham by-election, 1899 in which he was not elected
• Manchester North-West by-election, 1908 where he was defeated
• Dundee by-election, 1908 where he was elected
• Dundee by-election, 1917 where he was re-elected.^[2]
• Westminster, Abbey by-election, 1924 in which he was unsuccessful

John Wilkes won the Aylesbury by-election, 1757, and was then elected in the Middlesex by-elections of February, March and April 1769, on each occasion being subsequently expelled from the House of Commons.

Former MPs making a comeback at a by-election

• South Antrim by-election, 2000¹: William McCrea returns after losing his Mid Ulster seat in the 1997 General Election.
• Kensington and Chelsea by-election, 1999: Michael Portillo returns after losing his Enfield Southgate seat at the 1997 General Election.
• Beckenham by-election, 1997: Jacqui Lait returns after losing her Hastings and Rye seat at the 1997 General Election.
• Epping Forest by-election, 1988: Steve Norris returns after losing his Oxford East seat at the 1987 General Election.
• Glasgow Govan by-election, 1988¹: Jim Sillars returns as an SNP MP. He had first sat as a Labour MP (later as Scottish Labour) for South Ayrshire between 1970 and 1979.
• Chesterfield by-election, 1984: Tony Benn returns after losing his redrawn Bristol East seat at the 1983 General Election.
• Beaconsfield by-election, 1982: Tim Smith returns after losing his Ashfield seat in the 1979 General Election.
• Glasgow Hillhead by-election, 1982²: Roy Jenkins returns after a spell as European Commissioner, then co-founding the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He had first sat as a Labour MP for Southwark Central fom 1948-50 and Birmingham Stechford from 1950-77.
• Crosby by-election, 1981¹: Shirley Williams returns as the first-elected SDP MP. She had first sat as a Labour MP for Hitchin 1964-74 and for Hertford and Stevenage 1974-79.
• Warrington by-election, 1981: Douglas Hoyle returns after losing his Nelson and Colne seat in the 1979 General Election.
• Southend East by-election, 1980: Teddy Taylor returns after losing his Glasgow Cathcart seat at the 1979 General Election.
• South-West Hertfordshire by-election, 1979: Richard Page returns after losing his Workington seat in the 1979 General Election.
• Knutsford by-election, 1979: Jock Bruce-Gardyne returns after losing his South Angus seat at the October 1974 General Election.
• Clitheroe by-election, 1979: David Waddington returns after losing his Nelson and Colne seat at the October 1974 General Election.
• Glasgow Garscadden by-election, 1978: Donald Dewar returns after losing his Aberdeen South seat in the 1970 General Election.
• Newham South by-election, 1974: Nigel Spearing returns after losing his Acton seat in the February 1974 General Election.
• Merthyr Tydfil by-election, 1972²: Edward Rowlands returns after losing his Cardiff North seat in the 1970 General Election.
• Greenwich by-election, 1971: Guy Barnett returns after losing his South Dorset seat in the 1964 General Election.
• Southampton Itchen by-election, 1971: Bob Mitchell returns after losing his Southampton Test seat in the 1970 General Election.
• St. Marylebone by-election, 1970: Kenneth Baker returns after losing his Acton seat in the 1970 General Election.
• Chichester by-election, 1969: Christopher Chataway returns after losing his Lewisham North seat in the 1966 General Election.
• Brighton Pavilion by-election, 1969: Julian Amery returns after losing his Preston North seat in the 1966 General Election.
• New Forest by-election, 1968: Patrick McNair-Wilson returns after losing his Lewisham West seat in the 1966 General Election.
• Warwick and Leamington by-election, 1968: Dudley Smith returns after losing his Brentford and Chiswick seat in the 1966 General Election.
• West Derbyshire by-election, 1967: James Scott-Hopkins returns after losing his Cornwall North seat in the 1966 General Election.
• Brierley Hill by-election, 1967: Fergus Montgomery returns after losing his Newcastle East seat in the 1964 General Election.
• Honiton by-election, 1967: Peter Emery returns after losing his Reading seat in the 1966 General Election.
• Saffron Walden by-election, 1965: Peter Kirk returns after losing his Gravesend seat in the 1964 General Election.
• Salisbury by-election, 1965: Michael Hamilton returns after losing his Wellingborough seat in the 1964 General Election.
• East Grinstead by-election, 1965: Geoffrey Johnson-Smith returns after losing his Holborn and St. Pancras South seat in the 1964 General Election.
• Altrincham and Sale by-election, 1965: Anthony Barber returns after losing his Doncaster seat in the 1964 General Election.
• St. Marylebone by-election, 1963: Quintin Hogg returns after disclaiming his peerage. He had previously sat for Oxford 1938-1950.
• Kinross and West Perthshire by-election, 1963: Sir Alec Douglas-Home returns after disclaiming his peerage. He had previously sat for Lanark 1931-45 and 1950-51.