1956 Newport by-election

The 1956 Newport by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 6 July 1956 for the British House of Commons constituency of Newport in Monmouthshire.

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Peter Freeman had died on 19 May 1956, aged 67. He had held the seat since the 1945 general election, having previously been MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from 1929 to 1931.

Candidates

The Labour candidate was Sir Frank Soskice, who had been Solicitor General and then Attorney General in the Labour Government 1945-1951. His Sheffield Neepsend constituency had been abolished for the 1955 general election.

The Conservative Party selected as its candidate Donald Box, a stockbroker from Cardiff who had contested the seat at the 1955 general election. The Liberal Party did not field a candidate, and third candidate was Emrys Roberts of Plaid Cymru.

Result

Soskice held the seat with a majority higher than that achieved by Freeman the previous year. He held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1966 general election, having been Home Secretary from 1964 to 1965.

Box was elected at the 1959 general election in Cardiff North, and held that seat until 1966.

Votes

1956 Newport by-election[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Soskice 29,205 56.3 +2.6
Conservative Donald Box 20,720 39.9 −5.4
Plaid Cymru Emrys Roberts 1,978 3.8 N/A
Majority 8,485 16.3 +8.9
Turnout 51,903 72.1 −9.5
Registered electors 71,943
Labour hold Swing +4.0

See also

References

  1. ^ "1956 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1971). British parliamentary election results 1950-1970 (1 ed.). Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 9780900178023. Page 558