TORIES SUCCEED IN BY-ELECTION

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30901, 6 November 1965, Page 15

TORIES SUCCEED IN BY-ELECTION

(N.Z.P A.-Reuter —Copyright) LONDON, Nov. 5. The Tories last night held the seat in the by-election caused by the death of the Commons speaker, but with a majority cut by one-third.

The result was:— John Smith (Conservative), 15,037: Alexander Pringle (Labour), 8300; Stephen Jakob! (Liberal), 1595; Desmond Burgess (Independent), 326.

The Conservative majority of 6737 compared with the majority of 10,279 held by Sir Harry Hylton-Foster.

The seat—the Cities of London and Westminster—is a Conservative stronghold. The turn-out was 41.8 per cent of the electors, compared with 59.7 last year.

The Conservative share of the vote rose from 48.4 per cent at the general election to 59.5 per cent. The Labour share rose from 30.6 per cent to 32.9 pea cent. Both gained at the expense of the Liberal, whose share slumped from 11 per cent to 6.3 per cent. The Liberal and Independent candidates both failed to poll one-eighth of the total vote and forfeit their deposits. The new member, Mr Smith, who is aged 42, was educated at Eton.

He is a director of several big companies, including Rolls Royce, and Courts, the bankers.

By retaining the seat the Conservatives boosted their representation in the House of Commons to 303 and temporarily reduced the Labour Government’s majority to two. But there is another byelection next Thursday in the Erith and Crayford constituency, generally regarded as a Labour stronghold. With tonight’s result the state of parties is: Labour 314, Conservative 303, Liberal 9, non-voting 3, vacant 1. The speaker and his two deputies are non-voting members.