1986 Fulham by-election

The Fulham by-election, in Fulham, on 10 April 1986 was held following the death of the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Martin Stevens on 10 January that year. In a seat that had changed hands on a few occasions, it was won by Nick Raynsford of Labour, only to be regained by the Tories in the general election 14 months later.

Candidates

• Jane Birdwood was a veteran activist on the far right who was variously associated with the National Front and British National Party.[1]
• James "Boyd" Black advocated the right of Northern Ireland to directly elect its own government and was a leading member of the British and Irish Communist Organisation.[2]
• Matthew Carrington captured the seat for the Conservatives at the following election.
• John Creighton was the owner of a local wine shop.[2]
• Liza Duke called for the abolition of Parliament.[2]
• Roger Liddle later went on to become an adviser to Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson.[3]
• Nick Raynsford would later return to Parliament as MP for Greenwich and Greenwich & Woolwich.
• Rev. Geoffrey Rolph represented the Fellowship Party, which supported pacifism and opposed nuclear power.
• Reginald Simmerson, a regular by-election candidate, campaigned against British membership of the European Community.[2] Following his death in 1998 the Anti-Common Market League established a prize in his memory.[4]
• Jon Swinden ran for the Humanist Party which advocates the humanism of Mario Rodríguez Cobos.[5]
• David Sutch was the founder and leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

Results

Fulham by-election, 1986[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Nick Raynsford	16,451	43.2	+9.17
	Conservative	Matthew Carrington	12,948	34.0	-12.18
	SDP	Roger Liddle	6,953	18.26	+0.01
	England Demands Repatriation	Jane Birdwood	226	0.59	New
	Monster Raving Loony	David Sutch	134	0.35	New
	Connoisseur Wine Party	John Creighton	127	0.33	New
	Democratic Rights for Northern Ireland	James Black	98	0.26	New
	Fellowship	Geoffrey Rolph	39	0.1	New
	Humanist	Jon Swinden	38	0.1	New
	Captain Rainbows Universal Party	Liza Duke	37	0.1	New
	All Party Anti-Common Market	Reginald Simmerson	33	0.09	New
Majority			3,503	9.2	N/A
Turnout			38,084
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

General election 1983: Fulham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Martin Stevens	18,204	46.18	-0.52
	Labour	A Powell	13,415	34.03	-9.19
	Liberal	David Rendel	9,174	18.25	+9.3
	Ecology	J Grimes	277	0.7	New
	National Front	R Pearce	229	0.58	-0.57
	Independent Liberal	J Keats	102	0.26	New
Majority			4,798	12.15	+8.69
Turnout			39,421	76.05	-0.03
	Conservative hold		Swing

External links

• Results

References

1. Nick Lowles, 'A very English extremist', Searchlight
2. "Results of By-elections in the 1983-1987 Parliament". Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
3. LSE Visiting Staff
4. Anti Common Market League - Autumn 2001
5. The Humanist Party - Facts Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
6. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2015.