1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election
4 Jul 1985
Constituency of Brecon and Radnor
Turnout79.4% (Decrease 0.7%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Lab
Con
Candidate Richard Livsey Frederick Willey Chris Butler
Party Liberal Labour Conservative
Popular vote 13,753 13,194 10,631
Percentage 35.8 34.4 27.7
Swing Increase 11.4% Increase 9.4% Decrease 20.5
MP before election

Tom Ellis Hooson
Conservative

 Subsequent MP

Richard Livsey
Liberal

The 1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 4 July 1985 for the British House of Commons constituency of Brecon and Radnor.

Previous MP

The seat had become vacant on 8 May 1985, when the constituency's Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), Tom Ellis Hooson, had died at the age of 52. He was a cousin of Emlyn Hooson, the former Liberal Party MP for Montgomery.

Tom Hooson had been Brecon and Radnor's MP since the 1979 general election, when he gained the seat from the Labour Party.

Candidates

Seven candidates were nominated. Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey was the candidate of the Liberal Party and represented the SDP-Liberal Alliance. He was a former senior lecturer in farm management, born in 1935, who had become a smallholder. He had contested the seat in the 1983 general election.

(Frederick) Richard Willey, born 1945, was the Labour candidate. He was the son of veteran Labour MP Fred Willey and a member of Radnor District Council. He was a freelance educational researcher and writer.

Christopher John Butler, born 1950, represented the Conservative Party. He was a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Wales and had previously worked at the Conservative Research Department in Wales and the Political Office in 10 Downing Street.

Janet Mary Davies was nominated by Plaid Cymru. She was born in 1938 and was a member of Taff Ely Borough Council.

Frequent election candidate and pop singer Screaming Lord Sutch (otherwise known as David Edward Sutch) represented the Monster Raving Loony Party.

Roger Joseph Everest was an Independent candidate who sought election as a One Nation Conservative.

Andre Charles Leopold Genillard was an Independent who campaigned as a Free the World from Multiple Sclerosis candidate. He was a teacher at Mayfield College, Mayfield, and entered the election as an educational exercise for students before electoral deposits substantially increased.

Result

1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Livsey 13,753 35.8 +11.4
Labour Frederick Willey 13,194 34.4 +9.4
Conservative Chris Butler 10,631 27.7 −20.5
Plaid Cymru Janet Davies 435 1.1 −0.6
Monster Raving Loony Screaming Lord Sutch 202 0.5 N/A
One Nation Conservative Roger Everest 154 0.4 N/A
Independent Andre C. L. Genillard 43 0.1 N/A
Majority 559 1.4 N/A
Turnout 38,412 79.4 −0.7
Registered electors 48,371
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +16.0

Aftermath

Livsey held the seat for the Liberals at the 1987 general election, with a majority of just 56 over the Conservative Jonathan Evans with Labour dropping to third place.[2] This meant that Brecon and Radnor was the only seat that the Conservatives lost at a by-election in the 1983-1987 parliament that they failed to regain at the 1987 election.[3] However at the 1992 general election the Conservatives did regain the seat, although Richard Livsey went on to regain it at the 1997 general election.

Previous result

General election 1983: Brecon and Radnor[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Tom Hooson 18,255 48.2 +1.0
Labour David Morris 9,471 25.0 -15.9
Liberal Richard Livsey 9,226 24.4 +14.7
Plaid Cymru Sian Meredudd 640 1.7 -0.4
Independent Richard Booth 278 0.7 N/A
Majority 8,784 23.2 +16.9
Turnout 37,870 80.1 -4.1
Registered electors 47,277
Conservative hold Swing +8.4

See also

References

  1. ↑ Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. ↑ The Times Guide to the House of Commons June 1987. London: Times Books Ltd. 1987. p. 60. ISBN 0-7230-0298-3.
  3. ↑ The Times Guide to the House of Commons June 1987. London: Times Books Ltd. 1987. p. 238. ISBN 0-7230-0298-3.
  4. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  • Britain Votes/Europe Votes By-Election Supplement 1983-, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1985)
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