Keeping the British Liberal Party flag flying high

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pipisme

The Liberals have held Southampton Itchen. [1] But their majority over Socialist Labour is down from 10.7% to 8.6%. Glasgow Cathcart has been retained by the Tories. [2] However their majority over Socialist Labour is reduced from 22.1% to 11.0%, partly because of new council housing in the city.

One hundred seats have now been declared and the state of the parties is as follows:
Conservative: 47 seats
Liberal: 27 seats
Socialist Labour: 26 seats.

The Conservatives have gained eleven seats from Liberal and three from Socialist Labour. The Liberals have taken five from Conservative and one from Socialist Labour. Socialist Labour have taken one from Conservative and six from Liberal. Of the new seats declared so far, six have gone Conservative, the Liberals have won two and Socialist Labour three.

[1] This constituency is named for the River Itchen and is in the less affluent eastern half of the city.

[2] This constituency is in the south of the city.
 

pipisme

Manuela Sykes has held Finchley for Liberal with her majority over Conservative up from 6.8% to 14.5%, with the Socialist Labour vote down. [1] Miss Sykes won the seat in the 1955 election. She is thirty-five years old and has been tipped as a future Liberal leader. She is in a minority in her party in her opposition to Britain joining the European Economic Community [EEC]. In her election campaign she said she was in favour of a referendum on British membership of the EEC.

Quintin Hogg, the shadow Home Secretary, has been re-elected in the Cities of London and Westminster. The Liberals have retained Derby South with their majority over Conservative up from 2.3% to 6.5% because of boundary changes. The Tories have held Croydon South and Southend West, and have gained Accrington from Liberal with a majority of 1.6%. The Liberal majority was 4.3%, so the swing from Liberal to Conservative of 2.95% is below the national average.

The Conservatives have held Sunbury-on-Thames. [2] Bob Mellish is back in Bermondsey for Socialist Labour. The Tories have held Doncaster, with their majority over Liberal up from 2.9% to 14.6%. The swing of 5.85% is above the national average. Barking is a Liberal gain from Socialist Labour. Their majority is 5.5% compared with the Socialist Labour majority of 1.1%. The Liberals have also held Birkenhead, Bolton West, and the Tories have kept Worcester. Michael Wedgwood Benn, the Paymaster General, is back in Wolverhampton East. But his majority over Conservative is down from 40.2% to 31.3%.

[1] Here is her entry in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuela_Sykes

[2] Roughly equivalent to Spelthorne in OTL.
 

pipisme

The Conservatives have taken Altrincham and Sale from Liberal with a majority of 2.4%, compared with the previous Liberal majority of 2.8%. Socialist Labour has held Bilston, but their majority over the Tories is down from 20.7% to 13.5%. Jennie Lee is back in Glasgow Bridgeton. Her majority over Conservative is up from 29.0% to 40.3%. Although she is no longer leader of the Socialist Labour, she still attracts a lot of media attention. She says in interviews that Aneurin Bevan is in a stable condition and being well cared for. [1] She does not say whom she would like to be the leader of her party. Although it is no secret that she does not want it to be Hugh Gaitskell. Warrington is a Conservative gain from Liberal with a majority of 2.0%, compared with the previous Liberal majority of 5.3%. The Tories have held Woolwich West.

[1] She does not tell anyone that Bevan is dying of cancer.
 

Thunderbolt

My very rough calculations have the election at this moment:

Liberal - 32 (net loss of 8 seats)
Conservative - 53 (net gain of 16 seats)
Socialist Labour - 25 (net gain of 4 seats)
Ulster Unionist - 2

I'm sure I've made a mistake somewhere in these figures.
The discrepancy in the net losses and net gains not cancelling each other out is due to the number of new seats declared so far.

With only 112 seats declared so far (by my count) there is a long way to go on Election night yet...
 

pipisme

In Warrington Socialist Labour have pushed the Liberals down into third place. Here are the figures [1955 general election]:
Conservative: 36.3% [31.4%]
Socialist Labour: 34.3% [31.9%]
Liberal: 29.4% [36.7%]
-------------------------------
Conservative majority: 2.0% [Liberal majority: 5.3%]
--------------------------------

But the Liberals have held Prescot with their majority over Socialist Labour reduced from 11.8% to 5.6%. [1]

The Conservatives have kept Bournemouth Moordown and Christchurch, and Bournemouth Branksome. [1] The swings from Liberal to Conservative are only 0.7% and 1.9% respectively. Which is below the national average. The Liberals have held Royton [in Lancashire]. Their majority over Conservative is down from 22.9% to 14.2%. Socialist Labour have held Willesden West, while the Tories have gained Dundee East from Liberal, who are pushed into third place by Socialist Labour. Here are the figures:
Conservative: 36.2% [33.3%]
Socialist Labour: 33.7% [31.5%]
Liberal: 30.1% [35.2%]
--------------------------------
Conservative majority: 2.5% [Liberal majority: 7.9%
--------------------------------

[1] Prescot is in south-west Lancashire between Liverpool and St.Helens.

[2] The Bournemouth constituencies correspond to Bournemouth East and Christchurch, and Bournemouth West respectively in OTL.
 

pipisme

The position of the parties after 125 seats have been declared is as follows: Conservative - 60, Liberal - 35, Socialist - 30. The Conservatives have gained fifteen seats from the Liberals and three from Socialist Labour. The Liberals have gained five seats from Conservative and two from Socialist Labour. Socialist Labour have gained one seat from Conservative and six from Liberal. Of the new seats, the Conservatives have taken six, the Liberals two and Socialist three.

The Northern Ireland Labour Party [NILP] has taken the new seat of Belfast North-West. Here are the figures:
Jack McDowell - NILP: 46.6%
Ulster Unionist: 32.6%
Progressive: 13.0
Sinn Fein: 7.8
--------------------------------------
NILP majority: 14.0%
--------------------------------------

Jack Beattie who was the NILP member for Belfast West died on 9 March 1960. There was not a by-election in that constituency because of the general election and also because it was abolished. Jack McDowell was selected as the NILP candidate for Belfast North-West. [1]

The Liberals have held Bootle. Their majority over Conservative is down from 4.1% to 0.7%. The swing of 1.7% is in line with the below average swings from Liberal to Conservative on Merseyside.


[1] Here is his entry in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_McDowell_(politician)
 

pipisme

The Tories have held Mitcham, and Paddington South, and the Liberals Nottingham North. John Seys-Llewellyn, the Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, has lost City of Chester to the Conservatives. The Tories have held Wolverhampton West and gained Southampton Test from the Liberals. [1] The Conservatives have gained Battersea South from the Liberals and Derby North, where they jumped from third to first place. Here are the figures [1955 general election]:
Conservative: 35.2 [29.7]
Liberal: 33.2 [39.5]
Socialist Labour: 31.6 [30.8]
-----------------------------
Conservative majority: 2.0 [Liberal majority: 9.8]
----------------------------
There was an above average swing of 5.9% from Liberal to Conservative.

[1] The Test constituency is in the more affluent western half of the city and is named for the river of the same name.
 

pipisme

Gwilym Edwards has held East Ham South for Socialist Labour. The figures are as follows:
Gwilym Edwards - Socialist Labour: 48.3 [44.5]
Liberal: 27.8 [31.1]
Conservative: 23.9 [24.4]
------------------------------------
Socialist Labour majority: 20.5 [13.4]
------------------------------------
There was a swing of 3.55% from Liberal to Socialist Labour. Edwards' wife, Rosa Bancroft, and their three eldest children were at the count and declaration in East Ham Town Hall. [1]

Socialist Labour have taken the new seat of West Ham North and have held Birmingham Small Heath. The Tories have kept Gillingham and gained Sunderland South from the Liberals. The shadow Commonwealth Relations Secretary, Reginald Maudling, is back in Croydon North-West with his majority over Liberal up from 10.3% to 15.7%. The Tories have also held Croydon North-East, but with only a small increase in their majority over Liberal from 6.5% to 8.8%.

[1] These are fictional characters.
 

pipisme

The Liberals have held Manchester Withington [in the south of the city] but with their majority over Conservative reduced from 12.6% to 1.0%. The Conservatives have retained Dundee West and Lewisham West, and gained Lewisham South. Socialist Labour have held Jarrow. Twickenham is a Tory gain from Liberal with a majority of 6.7%, compared with a Liberal majority of 0.0% or three in the 1955 general election. Here are the figures [1955 election]:
Conservative: 49.7 [47.0]
Liberal: 43.0 [47.0]
Socialist Labour: 7.3 [6.0]
-----------------------------
Conservative majority: 6.7 [Liberal majority: 0.0]
-----------------------------
There was a swing of 3.35% from Liberal to Conservative.

The Liberals have held East Ham North with their majority over Socialist Labour down from 6.6% to 1.6%.

With 150 results having being declared the tally for each party is as follows: Conservative and Unionist - 75, Liberal - 40, Socialist Labour - 34, NILP - 1. The Conservatives have gained 21 seats from Liberal and three from Socialist Labour, the Liberals have taken five seats from Conservative and two from Socialist Labour, Socialist Labour have gained one seat from Conservative and six from Liberal. The Conservatives have won six of the new seats, the Liberals two, Socialist Labour four and NILP one.

The Tories have held Worthing, but their majority over Liberal is up only from 20.7% to 22.9%. Socialist Labour have taken Middlesbrough East from Liberal. The figures are as follows:
Socialist Labour: 40.0 [38.4]
Liberal: 35.0 [40.9]
Conservative: 25.0 [20.7]
---------------------------
Socialist Labour majority: 5.0 [Liberal majority: 2.5]
----------------------------
This is a swing of 3.85% from Liberal to Socialist Labour.
 

pipisme

The Liberals have held Hackney South. There is a recount in Greenwich requested by the Conservatives. The Liberals are defending against Conservative and Socialist Labour challenges. The rumour is that the Socialist Labour candidate is in first place. The Tories have gained Sunderland North from the Liberals. Stephen Owen Davies has held Merthyr Tydfil for Socialist Labour with Plaid Cymru in second place. Here are the figures [1955 general election]:
Stephen Owen Davies - Socialist Labour -: 56.1 [54.7]
Plaid Cymru: 18.8 [16.5]
Conservative: 13.6 [14.5]
Liberal:11.5 [14.3]
------------------------------------
Socialist Labour majority: 37.3 [38.2]
------------------------------------

Socialist Labour have held Ince, Sheffield Hillsborough and Swansea East, all with increased majorities. Edward Shackleton, the Socialist Labour shadow foreign secretary is back in Nelson and Colne with a large increase in his majority. Here are the figures:
Edward Shackleton - Socialist Labour - 53.9 [48.1]
Liberal: 24.3 [31.5]
Conservative: 19.2 [20.4]
Tom Emmott - Lancastrian Party - 2.6 [n/a](1)
-------------------------------------
Socialist Labour majority: 29.6 [16.6]
------------------------------------
The swing from Liberal to Socialist Labour is 6.5%.

The media are there in force in Nelson Town Hall. Not because there is any doubt of the result but because of Mr Shackleton. They ask him if he will be standing for leadership of the Socialist Labour party. He tells them that he will be. This is no surprise to any one.

The Tories have gained Darlington, Ealing North, and Uxbridge from the Liberals, while the Liberals have held Hackney Central with Socialist Labour in second place, and Wood Green where are the Tories are in second place. The Tories have held Luton, and Richmond [Surrey]. The Liberals have kept Paisley, but their majority over Socialist Labour is down from 11.3% to 5.2%. Socialist Labour have held Thurrock and taken the new constituency of Gateshead East. The Conservatives are back in Beckenham, Chelsea and Ealing South. The Liberals have taken Romford from the Conservatives. The figures are as follows:
Liberal: 42.5 [39.6]
Conservative: 35.0 [40.9]
Socialist Labour: 22.5 [19.5]
----------------------------
Liberal majority: 7.5 [Conservative majority: 1.3]
----------------------------
The Liberal gain is attributed to new council housing in the constituency and boundary changes.

(1) In OTL Emmott stood for the Lancastrian Party in the 1959 general election.
 

pipisme

John Boyd-Carpenter, the Conservative shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer is back in Kingston-Upon-Thames. The Tories have also held St. Marylebone and gained Hastings from the Liberals with a majority of 8.3%. The Liberal majority was 3.3%. Socialist Labour have held Manchester Cheetham, with the Liberals falling from second to third place, and taken the new constituency of Gateshead West.

Sheelagh Mary Murnaghan, the Minister of State at the Home Office with responsibility for Northern Ireland [the Northern Ireland minister] has held Belfast South for the Progressive Party. Her majority over Ulster Unionist is up from 7.8% to 13.6%. Ronald Cartland, the Conservative shadow Defence Secretary, is back in Birmingham Handsworth and Duncan Sandys has held Norwood. The Tories have gained Nottingham Central from the Liberals.
 

pipisme

Socialist Labour have held Aberdare with their majority over Liberal up from 40.0% to 48.9%, and the Tories in fourth place below Plaid Cymru. The Tories have gained Hornsey and Manchester Gorton from the Liberals, and held Liverpool Kirkdale. They have also won the new constituency of Cardiff North, as was expected. The Liberals have taken the new constituency of Hull North. This is something of a surprise as it could have gone either way, but was expected slightly more likely to go Tory than Liberal.
 

pipisme

There is no change in Aberdeen. Hector Hughes, a former junior minister at the Home Office, has held the North division for Socialist Labour, while Lady Tweedsmuir, the Conservative shadow Scottish Secretary, is back in the South division. Albert McElroy has taken the new seat of Belfast South-West for the Progressive Party. [1] Here are the figures:
Albert McElroy - Progressive: 38.7%
Northern Ireland Labour: 31.2%
Ulster Unionist: 23.8%
Sinn Fein: 6.3%
-------------------------
Progressive majority: 7.5%
-------------------------

The Liberals have held Newport, Norwich North, and Nottingham West, but have lost Peckham to Socialist Labour. The Tories have taken the new seat of Harrow Central, and have held Newcastle-upon-Tyne North and gained Newcastle-upon-Tyne East from the Liberals.

[1] Here is his entry in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_McElroy
 

pipisme

Roy Jenkins has held Hammersmith South for Socialist Labour. His majority over the Liberals is up from 7.4% to 11.8%. Here are the figures [1955 general election]:
Roy Jenkins - Socialist Labour - 41.3% [39.4%]
Liberal candidate: 29.5% [32.0%]
Conservative candidate: 29.2% [28.6%]
--------------------------------------
Socialist Labour majority: 11.8% [7.4%]
---------------------------------------
The swing from Liberal to Socialist Labour is 2.4%.

Jenkins is a passionate believer in the UK entering the European Economic Community, but he supports his party's policy of a referendum on entry. He also advocates a progressive alliance in which the Liberal and Socialist Labour parties would cooperate by standing aside in constituencies to give the party with the bigger chance of defeating the Conservatives. However he has little support for this in either party.

Two hundred results have now been declared and the tally for each party is as follows: Conservative - 100, Liberal - 49, Socialist Labour - 48, Progressive - 2, Northern Ireland - 1. The Conservatives have gained 30 from the Liberals and 3 from Socialist Labour. The Liberals have gained 6 from the Conservatives and 2 from Socialist Labour. Socialist Labour have gained 1 from the Conservatives and 8 from Socialist Labour. Of the new seats the Conservatives have won 8, the Liberals 3, Socialist Labour 6, Northern Ireland Labour 1 and the Progressives 1.
 
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