West Lothian by-election, 1962

The West Lothian by-election, 1962 was a UK Parliamentary by-election held for the constituency of West Lothian in Scotland on 14 June 1962,[1] following the death of sitting MP, John Taylor. It was important for two reasons: firstly, it saw the election of Tam Dalyell, who went on to become a long-standing and controversial MP; secondly, it saw a surprisingly strong showing by the Scottish National Party. The SNP candidate, William Wolfe, became their leader for several years.[2]

Candidates from the Liberal and Conservative parties both lost their deposits. It was the first deposit lost by the Conservatives in Scotland since 1920.

Election

West Lothian by-election, 1962[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Tam Dalyell 21,266 50.82 -9.47
SNP William Wolfe 9,750 23.30 +23.30
Conservative W. I. Stewart 4,784 11.43 -28.28
Liberal D. Bryce 4,537 10.84 +10.84
Communist Gordon McLennan 1,511 3.61 +3.61
Majority 11,516 27.5 +6.92
Turnout 41,848

References

  1. ↑ "No election fever in West Lothian. Five sides in the voting pool today". The Glasgow Herald. 14 June 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Veteran nationalist Billy Wolfe dies at the age of 86". 19 March 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "1962 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2015-08-17.


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