The Blaydon byelection of 2 February 1956 was a
by-election held in the
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
constituency of
Blaydon
Blaydon is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, and historically in County Durham. Blaydon, and neighbouring Winlaton, which Blaydon is now contiguous with, form the postal town of Blaydon-on-Tyne. The Blay ...
in
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East E ...
, the North East of England.
It was caused by the death on 3 November 1955 of
William Whiteley, the sitting
Labour Party Member of Parliament for the constituency, who had first been elected in 1922 and had represented it ever since with the exception of 1931 to 1935. Labour Party candidate
Robert Woof held the seat with little change in the majority.
Candidates
Labour selected Robert Woof, who was a miner and official with the
National Union of Mineworkers; Woof, who was 44, had been a member of
Durham County Council
Durham County Council is a local authority administering all significant local government functions in the unitary authority area of County Durham in North East England. The council area covers part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, e ...
since 1947. The
Conservative Party candidate was John Reay-Smith, a 40-year-old solicitor who had been a member of
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham.
Much of the town's early history surro ...
Urban District Council and fought the constituency in the
1955 general election.
Results
Robert Woof won with a majority of 10,714, and went on to hold it for the next 23 years before retiring at the
1979 general election.
Votes
See also
*
Blaydon (UK Parliament constituency)
*
List of United Kingdom by-elections (1950-1979)
References
*''The Times House of Commons Supplement'' issued June 1957.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaydon By-Election, 1956
1956 elections in the United Kingdom
By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Durham constituencies
1956 in England
February 1956 events in the United Kingdom
Politics of Gateshead
Elections in Tyne and Wear
20th century in County Durham