The Southampton Itchen by-election of 27 May 1971 was held after the Speaker of the House of Commons and Member of Parliament (MP) Horace King retired. The seat was gained by the Labour Party (although King had initially sat as a Labour MP). The by-election was noted for the strong performance of the far right National Democratic Party, who had developed a following in the constituency.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bob Mitchell | 22,575 | 55.36 | N/A | |
| Conservative | James Spicer | 12,900 | 31.63 | New | |
| National Democratic | Edwin Bray | 3,090 | 7.58 | −14.32 | |
| Liberal | Joseph Cherryson | 2,214 | 5.43 | New | |
| Majority | 9,675 | 23.73 | |||
| Turnout | 40,779 | ||||
| Labour gain from Speaker | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Horace King | 29,417 | 67.2 | ||
| National Democratic | Edwin Bray | 9,581 | 21.9 | ||
| Independent | B. H. Phillips | 4,794 | 11.0 | ||
| Majority | 19,836 | 45.3 | |||
| Turnout | 43,792 | 54.1 | |||
| Speaker hold | Swing | ||||
References
- Martin Walker, The National Front, Glasgow: Fontana Collins, 1977, p. 100
- "1970 -71 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
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