The 1965 Salisbury by-election was a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held for 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 An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

on 4 February 1965. It was won by the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

candidate Michael Hamilton.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant when the 58-year-old sitting

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 ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) John Morrison had been ennobled as

Baron Margadale Baron Margadale, of Islay in the County of Argyll, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 1 January 1965 for the Conservative politician John Morrison. , the title is held by his grandson, the third baron, who suc ...

. He had won the seat at a by-election in 1942.

Candidates

The Conservative candidate was 46-year-old Michael Hamilton. The Labour Party selected the National Union of Bank Employees official

Leif Mills Leif Anthony Mills (25 March 1936 – 17 December 2020) was a British trade unionist. Mills was educated at Kingston Grammar School and went on to study at Balliol College, Oxford before undertaking national service in the Royal Military Pol ...

, and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

fielded Hugh Capstick; both had contested the seat at the general election in October 1964. Maj.

Horace Trevor-Cox Horace Brimson Trevor-Cox (14 June 1908 – 30 October 2005) was a British farmer, landowner and politician who served from 1937 to 1945 as a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), but left the Conservatives in the 1960s and subsequently joined t ...

, a former Conservative MP, stood as Independent Conservative candidate.

Result

Michael Hamilton of the

returned to the House of Commons as an MP after he lost his

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...

seat in the General election in 1964.

Votes

References

British Parliamentary by-elections: Salisbury 1965
* {{By-elections to the 43rd UK Parliament By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Wiltshire constituencies 1965 in England 1965 elections in the United Kingdom Politics of Salisbury 20th century in Wiltshire

Vacancy

Candidates

Result

Votes

See also

References