Election Name: | 1995 Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Type: | parliamentary |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 1992 United Kingdom general election |
Previous Year: | 1992 |
Next Election: | 1997 United Kingdom general election |
Next Year: | 1997 |
Election Date: | 27 July 1995 |
Turnout: | 64.5% |
Candidate1: | Chris Davies |
Party1: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
Popular Vote1: | 16,231 |
Percentage1: | 38.5% |
Swing1: | 2.7pp |
Candidate2: | Phil Woolas |
Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
Popular Vote2: | 14,238 |
Percentage2: | 33.8% |
Swing2: | 14.9pp |
Image3: | CON |
Party3: | Conservative Party (UK) |
Popular Vote3: | 9,934 |
Percentage3: | 23.6% |
Swing3: | 20.7pp |
MP | |
Before Election: | Geoffrey Dickens |
After Election: | Chris Davies |
Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
After Party: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
A by-election was called to take place on 27 July 1995 in the constituency of Littleborough and Saddleworth in Greater Manchester, England, following the death of Conservative Party MP Geoffrey Dickens on 17 May of that year.
The contest was a win for the Liberal Democrat candidate Chris Davies. The result was notable, for the incumbent Conservative Party fell from first to third place, coming behind both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats. Davies' conduct during the by-election was controversial owing to his openly campaigning while the sitting MP Geoffrey Dickens was dying from liver cancer.[1]
The second-placed Labour candidate, Phil Woolas, defeated Davies at the 1997 general election in the successor seat of Oldham East and Saddleworth. He held the seat until 2010. Davies went on to represent the North West England region in the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014.