A by-election in Beckenham,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, was called in 1997 when the sitting Member of Parliament,

Piers Merchant Piers Rolf Garfield Merchant (2 January 1951 – 21 September 2009) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central from 1983 to 1987, and then MP for Beckenham from 1992 until ...

(

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

), resigned from Parliament on 21 October 1997. The Conservatives held the seat, with

Jacqui Lait Jacqueline Anne Harkness Lait (born 16 December 1947) is a British Conservative Party politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituencies of Hastings and Rye (1992–1997) and Beckenham (1997–2010). Early life Lait was ...

winning the by-election on 20 November.

Background

Piers Merchant had been under pressure during the May 1997 general election after tabloid newspaper stories about his relationship with a bar hostess whom he had employed as a researcher, but he had denied any impropriety, and retained the confidence of his local association. His resignation on 21 October was caused by further newspaper stories and video footage which confirmed that his denial had been misleading. He accepted the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. At the

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

, the Conservatives selected

, who had lost her seat at

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

in the general election. The Labour candidate, Robert (Bob) Hughes, was a long time resident of the constituency and had contested the seat at the general election. The Liberal Democrats also chose their general election candidate, Rosemary Vetterlein. The Conservatives were successful in retaining the seat with a further reduced majority."Blow for Tories as majority is reduced in by-election"
''The Independent'', retrieved 5 November 2011 Also held on the same day was a by-election at Winchester. This was the last election (general or by-election) that the Referendum Party contested; it wound up soon afterwards.

Results

References

External links

British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election
{{By-elections to the 52nd UK Parliament Beckenham,1997 Beckenham by-election Beckenham by-election Beckenham,1997 Beckenham by-election