The 1973 Ripon by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 26 July 1973 for the British House of Commons constituency of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

. The by-election took place during the 1970s Liberal revival. This seat and

Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to mean "island of eels", a reference to the creatures th ...

were gained on the same day, the third and fourth Liberal gains during the Parliament. This was the first time the Liberal Party had made two by-election gains on the same day, since winning both seats in a two-member constituency at the

1899 Oldham by-election The 1899 Oldham by-election occurred in the summer of that year, and involved a by-election to fill both seats in the two-member Oldham Parliamentary borough. The block voting method allowed each elector to vote for two candidates. The electio ...

. The Party had last gained two seats, in different constituencies on the same day, at the 1896 Frome by-election and the 1896 Wick Burghs by-election held on 2 June 1896.

Previous MP

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP), Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott (23 September 1901 – 15 June 1973), died. Stoddart-Scott, a Conservative, had been MP for Pudsey and Otley from 1945 - 1950 and had represented Ripon from 1950.

Candidates

Four candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election. 1. The Liberal Party candidate was

David Austick David Austick (8 March 1920 – 9 February 1997) was a British Liberal Party politician and bookshop owner. At a by-election in July 1973 caused by the death of the sitting Conservative MP Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott, Austick was elected Member ...

. He was a bookseller and a West Yorkshire County Councillor. Austick was born on 8 March 1920 and died on 9 February 1997. Austick won the by-election, in a seat in which his party had finished third in the 1970 general election. He lost the constituency to the Conservatives in the February 1974 general election. Austick subsequently contested Ripon in October 1974 and Cheadle in 1979. He also contested the Leeds constituency for the European Parliament, in the election of 1979. 2. The Conservative candidate was Keith Hampson, born on 14 August 1943. He was a former assistant to the Conservative Prime Minister,

Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

and a university lecturer. After losing the by-election, Hampson was the successful Conservative candidate who re-gained the seat in February 1974. The Ripon constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election, and Hampson was then elected for

Leeds North West Leeds North West is a constituency in the City of Leeds which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Alex Sobel, of Labour Co-op. Boundaries 1950–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Far He ...

. At the 1997 general election he was defeated by Labour candidate Harold Best. 3. Representing the Labour Party was D.M. English, who also contested the seat in February 1974. 4. R.E.G. Simmerson, the Chairman of a body called ''Democratic Conservatives Against the Common Market'', contested the by-election. Craig classified him as an Independent Conservative candidate.

Votes

References

* ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973'', compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983) * ''Chronology of British Parliamentary By-Elections 1833-1987'', compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1987) * ''Twentieth-Century British Political Facts 1900-2000'', by David Butler and Gareth Butler (Eighth edition: Macmillan Press 2000) * ''Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979'', edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)

External links

Some David Austick campaign literature
{{By-elections to the 45th UK Parliament Ripon by-election Ripon by-election Ripon by-election History of Ripon By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in North Yorkshire constituencies Politics of the Borough of Harrogate 1970s in North Yorkshire Politics of Ripon

Previous MP

Candidates

Votes

See also

References

External links