1957 Wednesbury by-election
28 February 1957
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The 1957 Wednesbury by-election was held on 28 February 1957 after the incumbent Labour MP, Stanley Evans, resigned from the House of Commons and the Labour Party after he had refused to vote against the Conservative government on the Suez Crisis. The Labour candidate, John Stonehouse, retained the seat with an increased majority.
Background
In November 1956 there was a vote of confidence in the Conservative government caused by the Suez Crisis. Evans abstained on the vote, being the only Labour MP not to follow the party whip.[1] Although he was not disciplined by the Parliamentary Labour Party, the Wednesbury Divisional Labour Party were highly critical of him. On 17 November the Divisional Party unanimously passed a resolution calling on him to resign, and on 20 November Evans announced his resignation from both the House of Commons and the Labour Party.[2] He formally resigned his seat by taking the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham on 26 November.[3]
Candidates
The resulting by-election was held on 28 February 1957.[4]
The Labour Party chose John Stonehouse, a lecturer who had previously unsuccessfully contested two general elections at Twickenham and Burton-upon-Trent.[5]
The Conservatives chose Peter Tapsell, a former member of the Conservative Research Department.[6]
An independent candidate, Wolverhampton solicitor and businessman Michael John Wade (1928-86) announced his candidacy hours before the close of nominations on 18 February, and went on to fight the election ‘on the cost of living issue alone’.[7] Wade said, ‘freeze wages, and prices will come down’. Asked about American policy on Suez, he said, ‘tell them there are still some British bulldogs about’.[8] In 1958, Wade saw national news coverage as the director of a Wolverhampton ballroom which operated a colour bar.[9] In July 1959, he was convicted of business fraud and sentenced to four years' imprisonment.[10]
Result
Stonehouse held the seat for Labour with an increased majority.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Stonehouse | 22,235 | 62.17 | +1.77 | |
| Conservative | Peter Tapsell | 9,999 | 27.96 | −11.64 | |
| Independent | Michael John Wade | 3,529 | 9.87 | New | |
| Majority | 12,236 | 34.21 | +13.51 | ||
| Turnout | 35,763 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ "Government Majority of 67 in Confidence Vote". The Times. 2 November 1956. p. 4.
- ^ "Mr S. Evans, M.P., resigns". The Times. 21 November 1956. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 40936". The London Gazette. 27 November 1956. p. 6727.
- ^ "Polling Date in Wednesbury". The Times. 11 February 1957. p. 4.
- ^ "Labour's Choice for Wednesbury". 21 January 1957. p. 4.
- ^ "Conservative Choice". The Times. 5 January 1957. p. 3.
- ^ "Independent Candidate Steps In At Wednesbury". The Times. 19 February 1957. p. 4.; News Chronicle, 01 March 1957; Birth and death records from www.ancestry.co.uk.
- ^ Birmingham Daily Post, 23 February 1957.
- ^ Daily Express, 18 June 1958, News Chronicle, 08 July 1958, Daily Mirror, 19 August 1958.
- ^ Staffordshire Sentinel, 04 July 1959.
- ^ "Labour Holds Wednesbury". The Times. 1 March 1957. p. 8.
- ^ "1957 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2015.