1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election

The 1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election was a parliamentary by-election held in England on 29 March 1979 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the House of Commons constituency of Liverpool Edge Hill.

1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election

29 March 1979
Constituency of Liverpool Edge Hill
First party Second party Third party   Lab Con Candidate David Alton Bob Wareing Nicholas Ward Party Liberal Labour Conservative Popular vote 12,945 4,812 1,906 Percentage 64.1% 23.8% 9.4% Swing 36.8% 28.1% 11.3%
MP before election Arthur Irvine Labour Elected MP David Alton Liberal

Polling in the by-election took place one day after the government of James Callaghan had lost a vote of no confidence in parliament and slightly over a month before the 1979 general election. The seat had become vacant on the death the previous December of the constituency's Labour Party MP Sir Arthur Irvine, who had held the seat since a by-election in 1947.

The result was a gain for the Liberal Party, represented by David Alton. Having made his maiden speech on 3 April, just before the house rose for the election, he was re-elected a few weeks later and from 1983 held the Mossley Hill seat until he stood down from the commons in 1997, 18 years after the by-election.