The 1962 West Lothian by-election was a UK Parliamentary by-election held for the constituency of West Lothian in Scotland on 14 June 1962,[1] following the death of sitting MP, John Taylor. The by-election saw the election of Tam Dalyell, who went on to become a long-standing and controversial MP. Additionally, the Scottish National Party had a surprisingly strong showing—their candidate, William Wolfe, became the party leader for several years.[2]

Candidates from the Liberal and Conservative parties both lost their deposits. It was the first deposit lost by the Conservatives in Scotland since 1920.

Election

West Lothian by-election, 1962[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tam Dalyell 21,266 50.82 -9.47
SNP William Wolfe 9,750 23.30 New
Conservative W. I. Stewart 4,784 11.43 -28.28
Liberal D. Bryce 4,537 10.84 New
Communist Gordon McLennan 1,511 3.61 New
Majority 11,516 27.52 +6.94
Turnout 41,848
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "No election fever in West Lothian. Five sides in the voting pool today". The Glasgow Herald. 14 June 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Veteran nationalist Billy Wolfe dies at the age of 86". 19 March 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  3. ^ "1962 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2015.


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