The

Harrow West Harrow West is a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency in Greater London created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK P ...

by-election was held on 17 March 1960 due to the suicide of the incumbent

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP, Sir Albert Braithwaite. It was won by the Conservative candidate John Page. The Liberal Party was said to be "much encouraged" by their share of the vote according to the acting chair of the Liberal standing committee

Mark Bonham Carter Mark Raymond Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham-Carter (11 February 1922 – 4 September 1994) was an English publisher and politician. He was created a life peer in 1986. Early life He was the son of the Liberal activists Sir Maurice Bonham-Cart ...

who also noted his party had not contested the constituency for ten years. Liberal leader

Jo Grimond Joseph Grimond, Baron Grimond, (; 29 July 1913 – 24 October 1993), known as Jo Grimond, was a British politician, leader of the Liberal Party for eleven years from 1956 to 1967 and again briefly on an interim basis in 1976. Grimond was a lo ...

said that "the result strengens our claim that what the nation wants is a Liberal alternative. The by-election took place on the same day as the Brighouse and Spenborough by-election which saw the Conservatives gain that seat from the opposition Labour Party.

Morgan Phillips Morgan Walter Phillips (18 June 1902 – 15 January 1963) was a colliery worker and trade union activist who became the General Secretary of the British Labour Party, involved in two of the party's election victories. Life Born in Aberdare, Gl ...

, Labour's

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

, blamed the poor results on negative press coverage arguing that "a tremendous effort" had been undertaken to develop "an unfavourable image of the party" adding that in his view "Newspaper space seems to have been allocated on political, rather than on news value."

References

Harrow West by-election Harrow West,1960 Harrow West by-election Harrow West by-election Harrow West,1960 20th century in Middlesex {{England-UK-Parl-by-election-stub