{{Short description|UK parliamentary by-election}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} The '''1963 Colne Valley by-election''' was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Colne Valley on 21 March 1963.

==Vacancy== The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Labour MP, Glenvil Hall, on 13 October 1962. He had held the seat since a 1939 by-election.

==Election history== Colne Valley had been won by Labour at every election since 1935, when they had gained the seat from the Liberals. The result at the previous general election was as follows; {{Election box begin | title=General election 1959: Colne Valley }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link| |party = Labour Party (UK) |candidate = Glenvil Hall |votes = 19,284 |percentage = 44.3 |change = -9.9 }} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Christopher J. Barr|votes=13,030|percentage=29.9|change=-15.9}} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Party (UK)|candidate=Richard Wainwright|votes=11,254|percentage=25.8|change=''New''}} {{Election box majority||votes=6,254|percentage=14.4|change=+6.0}} {{Election box turnout||votes=43,568|percentage=84.1|change=}} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Labour Party (UK) |swing = }} {{Election box end}}

==Candidates== Labour selected 43-year-old Patrick Duffy. He had contested Tiverton in 1950, 1951 and 1955. Duffy was a lecturer at Leeds University from 1950 to 1963, who had been educated at the London School of Economics and Columbia University, New York City.<ref>The Times House of Commons 1964</ref>

The Conservatives selected 28-year-old outsider, Andrew Alexander, a journalist and leader writer. Alexander was educated at Lancing College, and a former member of Dorchester Borough Council. He was a past chairman of North Kensington Young Conservatives and Dorchester Young Conservatives.<ref>The Times House of Commons 1964</ref>

The Liberals re-selected 44-year-old Leeds man Richard Wainwright. He had contested Pudsey in 1950 and 1955 and Colne Valley in 1959. Wainwright was a chartered accountant, educated at Shrewsbury School and Clare College, Cambridge. He was a Member of the Liberal Party Committee and Council, and chairman of the Liberal Party Organization Department from 1955 to 1957.<ref>The Times House of Commons 1964</ref>

An independent candidate, Arthur Fox, also stood. He was well-known as the owner of the "Revue Bar", a Manchester striptease club and an author on the subject.<ref>[http://pamela-green.com/arthur-fox-manchesters-king-of-glamour Arthur Fox – Manchester’s King of Glamour]</ref>

A total of 174 people serving in the Armed Forces applied for nomination papers to stand in the election, to avail of the automatic military discharge for Parliamentary candidates publicised by Malcolm Thompson at the 1962 Middlesbrough West by-election. Whereas Thompson's name had appeared on the ballot paper, by 1963 it was widely known that merely applying for papers sufficed for a discharge, without needing to submit the papers or pay an electoral deposit. The military rules for election discharge were tightened after the following week's Rotherham by-election.<ref>{{multiref| {{cite book |last1=Leonard |first1=Dick |last2=Mortimore |first2=Roger |title=Elections in Britain: A Voter's Guide |date=2001 |publisher=Palgrave |location=New York |isbn=978-0-333-91799-2 |pages=86–87 |edition=4th |url=https://archive.org/details/electionsinbrita0000leon/page/86/mode/2up |url-access=registration |via=Open Library }}| {{cite hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1962/dec/18/parliamentary-elections-service |date=18 December 1962 |house=Commons |volume=669 |column_start=1086 |column_end=1089 |title=Parliamentary Elections (Service Candidates) }}| {{cite book |first=F. W. S. |last=Craig |author-link=F. W. S. Craig |title=Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections |page=129 |location=London |publisher=Macmillan |sbn=333 17152 7 |url=https://archive.org/details/minorpartiesatbr0000crai/page/129 }}| {{cite news |last1=Feron |first1=James |title=175 'candidates' Avoid Yorkshire; Servicemen Having Second Thoughts on Election; Servicemen Screened; 2 Other Elections Slated |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/03/11/archives/175-candidates-avoid-yorkshire-servicemen-having-second-thoughts-on.html |access-date=11 December 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=11 March 1963 |page=3 |language=en}} }}</ref>

==Campaign== The election campaign was a long one, with polling day not taking place until five months after the death of the previous MP.

The main themes of Wainwright's Liberal campaign were State Pensions being tied to the cost of living index, creating a new Ministry of Employment, and no more nationalisation.<ref>Wainwright's election material</ref>

==Result== The Labour vote share held up, while the Liberals gained support at the expense of the Conservatives. Significantly, Wainwright had managed to push the Conservative candidate into third place. {{Election box begin | |title=Colne Valley by-election, 1963<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.by-elections.co.uk/63.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225141806/http://www.by-elections.co.uk/63.html|title=1963 By Election Results|archive-date=2012-02-25|url-status=dead|access-date=2015-08-17}}</ref>

(Electorate 51,397) }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link| |party = Labour Party (UK) |candidate = Patrick Duffy |votes = 18,033 |percentage = 44.5 |change = +0.2 }} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Party (UK)|candidate=Richard Wainwright|votes=15,994|percentage=39.5|change=+13.7}} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Andrew Alexander|votes=6,238|percentage=15.4|change=-14.5}} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent (politician)|candidate=Arthur Fox|votes=266|percentage=0.6|change=''New''}} {{Election box majority||votes=2,039|percentage=5.0|change=-9.4}} {{Election box turnout||votes=40,531|percentage=78.9|change=-5.2}} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Labour Party (UK) |swing = -6.8 }} {{Election box end}}

==Aftermath== All three main party candidates did battle again at the following general election. Wainwright further closed the gap on the Labour Party. The result at the 1964 general election was; {{Election box begin | |title=General election 1964

(Electorate 52,006) }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link| |party = Labour Party (UK) |candidate = Patrick Duffy |votes = 18,537 |percentage = 42.0 |change = -2.5 }} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Liberal Party (UK)|candidate=Richard Wainwright|votes=18,350|percentage=41.6|change=+2.1}} {{Election box candidate with party link||party=Conservative Party (UK)|candidate=Andrew Alexander|votes=7,207|percentage=16.3|change=+0.9}} {{Election box majority||votes=187|percentage=0.4|change=-4.6}} {{Election box turnout||votes=44,094|percentage=84.8|change=+5.3}} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Labour Party (UK) |swing = -2.3 }} {{Election box end}}

Wainwright eventually defeated Duffy at the 1966 general election, but was himself defeated in the 1970 general election before regaining it in February 1974, subsequently holding it until his retirement in 1987. Duffy went on to become the MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, serving from 1970 to 1992.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Bibliography== * Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com * By-Elections in British Politics by Cook and Ramsden * Wainwright's election material: https://web.archive.org/web/20120507020835/http://www.by-elections.co.uk/colne63/Liberal.html

==See also== * List of United Kingdom by-elections * United Kingdom by-election records {{By-elections to the 42nd UK Parliament}}

Category:1963 in England Category:Elections in Kirklees Category:1963 elections in the United Kingdom Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in West Yorkshire constituencies Category:1960s in Yorkshire