1959 South West Norfolk by-election

The South West Norfolk by-election of 25 March 1959 was held after Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Sidney Dye died on 9 December 1958. The seat was retained by Labour.

Candidates

Labour chose Albert Hilton as their candidate for the by-election. A leading member of the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers, Hilton was a longstanding party activist who held the seat until he was defeated in the 1964 general election. He would go on to sit in the House of Lords.

Barrister Elaine Kellett ran for the Conservative Party in one of a number of unsuccessful candidacies for the party. She went on to serve as MP for Lancaster and MEP for North West England.

The third candidate, Andrew Fountaine, ran as an Independent Nationalist, adopting a far right platform immediately before being appointed President of the National Labour Party.[1] He would become a leading figure in the National Front as well as briefly leading his own party, the Constitutional Movement.

Results

South West Norfolk, 1959[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Albert Hilton 15,314 50.95 +0.66
Conservative Elaine Kellett 13,960 46.44 -3.27
Independent Nationalist Andrew Fountaine 785 2.61 New
Majority 1,354 4.51 +3.93
Turnout 30,059
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ^ John Bean, Many Shades of Black – Inside Britain's Far Right, London: New Millennium, 1999, pp. 119–121
  2. ^ "1959 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  • v
  • t
  • e
« 40th Parliament « By-elections to the 41st Parliament of the United Kingdom » 42nd Parliament »
1955
  • August: Mid Ulster
  • December: Gateshead West
  • Greenock
  • Torquay
1956195719581959
Lists of UK by-elections
1801–1806
1806–1818
1818–1832
1832–1847
1847–1857
1857–1868
1868–1885
1885–1900
1900–1918
1918–1931
1931–1950
1950–1979
1979–2010
2010–present
Northern Ireland
Hereditary peers