Dumfriesshire by-election, 1963

There was a by-election for Dumfriesshire in 1963, after the MP, Niall Macpherson, was made a lord. Macpherson had been elected in 1959 as a National Liberal and Unionist, the latter label being that used by Conservatives in Scotland at this time.[1]

It was won by David Anderson who retained it for the Conservatives, by only 971 votes, a sign that the Conservative government was losing support. Anderson stood down at the 1964 general election, only serving as an MP for less than a year.

By-election 1963: Dumfriesshire [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative David Anderson 16,762 40.84 -17.55
Labour Iain Jordan 15,791 38.47 -3.14
Liberal Charles Abernethy 4,491 10.94 +10.94
SNP John HD Gair 4,001 9.75 +9.75
Majority 971 2.37 -14.4
Turnout 41,045
Conservative hold Swing

Aftermath

While Anderson had retained the seat for Conservatives, his majority was noticeably reduced. The Glasgow Herald noted that even in 1945 the victorious National Liberal candidate had had a majority of over 4000.[1] Anderson claimed that while the result did not produce such a large majority as previously it was satisfactory and noted it was the first time since 1945 that the election had not been a straight fight between a Labour candidate and a candidate backed by the Conservatives and National Liberals. He also claimed out it was the first time in 40 years that a Unionist had fought for the seat on a 'straight ticket' (ie without using the National Liberal label).[1]

The unsuccessful Labour candidate claimed the result was a vote of no confidence in the government.[1] This sentiment was echoed by Len Williams, the General Secretary of the Labour Party who stated the result was "another great blow for the Tories. Yet another of their safe seats becomes marginal."[1]

At the general election the following year, the seat was held for the Conservatives by new candidate Hector Monro with a majority of 4,456 votes.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Unionist Wins at Dumfries - But Majority Reduced to 971". The Glasow Herald. 13 December 1963. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  2. ↑ The Times, 13 Dec 1963
  3. ↑ "1963 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  4. ↑ The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1964. London: The Times Office. 1964. p. 209.


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