The 1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 4 July 1985 for the British House of Commons constituency of Brecon and Radnor.

Previous MP

The seat had become vacant on 8 May 1985, when the constituency's

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 in ...

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 o ...

(MP), Tom Ellis Hooson, had died at the age of 52. He was a cousin of Emlyn Hooson, the former

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 ...

MP for Montgomery. Tom Hooson had been Brecon and Radnor's MP since the 1979 general election, when he gained the seat from the Labour Party.

Candidates

Seven candidates were nominated. Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey was the candidate of the

and represented the SDP-Liberal Alliance. He was a former senior lecturer in farm management, born in 1935, who had become a

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

. He had contested the seat in the 1983 general election. (Frederick) Richard Willey, born 1945, was the Labour candidate. He was the son of veteran Labour MP Fred Willey and a member of Radnor District Council. He was a freelance educational researcher and writer. Christopher John Butler, born 1950, represented the Conservative Party. He was a special adviser to the

Secretary of State for Wales The secretary of state for Wales ( cy, ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member ...

and had previously worked at the Conservative Research Department in Wales and the Political Office in 10 Downing Street. Janet Mary Davies was nominated by

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

. She was born in 1938 and was a member of Taff Ely Borough Council. Frequent election candidate and pop singer Screaming Lord Sutch (otherwise known as David Edward Sutch) represented the

Monster Raving Loony Party The Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) is a political party established in the United Kingdom in 1982 by the musician David Sutch, also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Lord Sutch". It is notable for its ...

Roger Joseph Everest Roger Joseph Everest, (born 1939) is a Welsh barrister and independent parliamentary candidate. He was educated at Llandaff Cathedral School, Kingswood School, Bath, and the University of Wales. He contested the Caerphilly constituency for the ...

was an Independent candidate who sought election as a One Nation Conservative. Andre Charles Leopold Genillard was an Independent who campaigned as a Free the World from Multiple Sclerosis candidate. He was a teacher at Mayfield College, Mayfield, and entered the election as an educational exercise for students before electoral deposits substantially increased.

Result

Aftermath

Livsey held the seat for the Liberals at the 1987 general election, with a majority of just 56 over the Conservative Jonathan Evans with Labour dropping to third place. This meant that Brecon and Radnor was the only seat that the Conservatives lost at a by-election in the 1983-1987 parliament that they failed to regain at the 1987 election. However at the 1992 general election the Conservatives did regain the seat, although

Richard Livsey Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth (2 May 1935 – 16 September 2010) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire from 1985 to 1992, and again from 1997 to ...

went on to regain it at the 1997 general election.

Previous result

References

* ''Britain Votes/Europe Votes By-Election Supplement 1983-'', compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1985)

External links

Campaign literature from the by-election
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brecon And Radnor By-Election, 1985 1985 in Wales 1980s elections in Wales July 1985 events in the United Kingdom Brecknockshire Radnorshire 1985 elections in the United Kingdom By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Welsh constituencies