The 1962 West Lothian by-election 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. The by-election saw the election of Tam Dalyell, who went on to become a long-standing and controversial MP. Additionally, the Scottish National Party had a surprisingly strong showing—their candidate, William Wolfe, became the party 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 edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Tam Dalyell | 21,266 | 50.82 | -9.47 | |
| SNP | William Wolfe | 9,750 | 23.30 | New | |
| Conservative | W. I. Stewart | 4,784 | 11.43 | -28.28 | |
| Liberal | D. Bryce | 4,537 | 10.84 | New | |
| Communist | Gordon McLennan | 1,511 | 3.61 | New | |
| Majority | 11,516 | 27.52 | +6.94 | ||
| Turnout | 41,848 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
References edit
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Veteran nationalist Billy Wolfe dies at the age of 86". 19 March 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ "1962 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
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