INDIVIDUAL SEATS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27670, 28 May 1955, Page 7

INDIVIDUAL SEATS

Votes Lost By Labour

(Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON May 27 Throughout the polling, the story was the same for nearly all the 630 •eats—Labour losses and Conservative pins, all reflecting the switch in voting allegiance. Scores of successful labour candidates had their majorities heavily cut, and Conservative majorities m the seats the Government won almost uniformly reflected the bigger popular vote for the Right. The first former Labour Minister to be defeated was Mr Maurice Webb Minister of Food in the last Labour Government. In a tough struggle for the Yorkshire woollen centre of Bradford North, his Conservative and National opponent, beat him by 69 on a recount. Mr Harold Wilson won Huylon Lancashire, with a majority of 2558. This is an altered division previously held by Labour. Labour’s majority in 1951 was 1193. Mr Harold Wilson, once resigned from the Labour Cabinet with Mr Bevan but is now restored to a place among the party leaders. Mrs Barbara Castle, a leading supporter of Mr Bevan, won Blackbum Wlth * he small majority of 489. Blackbum is a new division created by the boundary revision. Sir Richard Acland, one of the most publicised candidates of the election, came bottom of the poll in Gravesend. He resigned from the Labour Party to fight the election as an Independent S- e , candidate. Mr Peter Kirk, a journalist won the seat for the Conservatives. Michael Foot Beaten One of the most exciting finishes was in the Devonport division of Plymouth, where Miss Joan Vickers, the Conservative National Liberal, wo.red a 100 majority after a recount. TJis battle saw the defeat of Mr Michael Foot, a leading Bevanite and member of the editorial board of the "DTbune, ’ who lost the seat he has held for 10 years. ,® evan ites took vote cuts, as aid tflteir leader, and some others had narrow squeaks. Mr Richard Crossman held Coventry East, but his majority was halved. Mr lan Mikardo got back in the new division of Reading by the slim margin of 238 in a straight fight with a Conservative. Sir Anthony Eden was returned for Warwick and Leamington with an increased majority of approximately 4000 votes. He has been returned for this constituency for many years. Sir Winston Churchill, re-entering the House of Commons as a backbencher for Woodford, has the huge majority bf 15.808 in 5 straight-out fight with Mr A. K. M. Milner (Labour). Mr Attlee, leader of the Labour Party and former Prime Minister, was returned for Walthamstow West, but his majority of 11,574 in the 1951 election was down to 9259. Mr Aneurin Bevan’s victory in Ebbw Vale t although with a majority of 19,236, was less impressive than at the last election; when his lead was 2000 more. Eton and Slough Division returned Mr Fenner Brockway (Labour), an outspoken critic o'f the Government on colonial affairs, with a reduced majority. Dr. Edith Summerskill, aged 53, present chairman of the Labour Party, who was Minister of National Insurance in 1950-51. won Warrington (Lancashire). Her former seat in the * House of Commons, Fulham West, was abolished. A former Labour Colonial Secretary, Mr Arthur Creech Jones, held Wakefield (Yorkshire). Mr M. Macmillan, the son of the Foreign Minister, Mr Harold Macmillan, was returned for Halifax. Mrs Braddock’s Win Mrs Bessie Braddock, aged 56, early c withstood challenges from Left and ' Bight to increase her majority in the ( Exchange Division of Liverpool. < Mrs Braddock beat her Conservative ( opponent, Mrs Anne Pah worth, by 7186 I votes, in spite of losing 2928 to Mr J Lawrence Murphy, a fellow member of 1 the Liverpool City Council, who quit me Labour Party to contest the seat J m an unofficial capacity when Mrs I Braddock was readopted, after pres- I •ure from party headquarters. Mr Philip Noel-Baker, aged 65, a I former Labour Secretary for CommonWealth Relations, retained his seat at industrial Derby South with a majority Of 6509. The oldest candidate fighting the election, the 84-year-old Labour man. Mr David Logan, retained his seat at Liverpool. Scotland, but with a smaller majority. Mr Konni Zilliacus, who was expelled from the Labour Party in 1949, ( and later readmitted, won his way ba o k into Parliament by 269 votes. d Mr Zilli-cvs polled 21,102 votes d against the 20.823 of the New Zealand- g Dorn Mr Bruce Campbell, his Conser- b vative opponent. t

Previous State Of Parties LONDON, May 26. The state of the parties in the House of Commons before the dissolution was: e Conservative and Ulster Unionists 303 Conservative-Liberal .. 2 Conservative-National Liberal .. 2 National Liberal .. 1 National Liberal-Conservative .. 7 Liberal-Conservative .. .. 7 Total, Conservatives and Allies 322 Labour .. .. 294 Liberal .. ~ . .. 6 Irish Labour .. .. 1 Irish Nationalist .. .. 2 Total of all parties .. .. 625 Gaoled Candidates Lose Deposits (Rec. 11 p.m.) BELFAST, May 27. Five gaoled Irish Republican candidates for Northern Ireland early today lost any hope of sitting on Britain’s green-leathered House of Commons benches and forfeited their £l5O election deposits in the process.

They were among eight Sinn Fein Party candidates now serving prison sentences for activities with „ the outlawed Irish Republican Army. Eight .imprisoned men stood for election.