1965 Leyton by-election

The 1965 Leyton by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 21 January 1965 for the House of Commons constituency of Leyton in east London.

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's long-serving Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Reginald Sorensen, was made a life peer on 15 December 1964. An MP for over thirty years, his elevation to the peerage was intended to create a vacancy in a safe seat for the Foreign Secretary, Patrick Gordon Walker, who had been defeated in a shock result in the 1964 general election in his Smethwick constituency.

The result of the contest was not as planned: the Conservative Party candidate, Ronald Buxton, won with a majority of 205 votes, a swing from Labour of 8.7%. Gordon-Walker resigned as Foreign Secretary but regained the seat for Labour at the 1966 general election.

Votes
Leyton by-election, 1965
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Buxton 16,544 42.9 +9.4
Labour Patrick Gordon Walker 16,339 42.4 −8.0
Liberal Alistair H Mackay 5,382 14.0 −2.2
UK & Commonwealth Party Jeremiah Lynch 157 0.4 New
Disarmament George Delf 156 0.4 New
Majority 205 0.5 N/A
Turnout 38,578 57.7 −12.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +8.7

See also

References
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