Keeping the British Liberal Party flag flying high

[pipisme]

Socialist Labour have held Sheffield Hillsborough and gained Huddersfield East from Conservative. Donald Wade is back in Huddersfield West for the Liberals. Southend East
and Southend West are Liberal gains from Conservative. The Conservatives have held Edinburgh North, Worcester, Worthing. The Minister of Works, Humphrey Atkins, has lost Merton and Morden to the Liberals by a majority of 2.7%. His majority had been 13.4%.

The Liberals have held Birmingham Perry Barr, Chesterfield, Northampton, Nottingham West, Paddington North, and Stalybridge and Hyde, with Socialist Labour second place in Chesterfield and Nottingham West. They have taken Hornsey and Plymouth Devonport from Conservative. The Tories have held Paddington South and Wimbledon, where their majority over Liberal has fallen from 26.5% to 9.9%. Bessie Braddock is back in Liverpool Exchange for Socialist Labour

 

[sarahz]

Socialist Labour have held Sheffield Hillsborough and gained Huddersfield East from Conservative. Donald Wade is back in Huddersfield West for the Liberals. Southend East
and Southend West are Liberal gains from Conservative. The Conservatives have held Edinburgh North, Worcester, Worthing. The Minister of Works, Humphrey Atkins, has lost Merton and Morden to the Liberals by a majority of 2.7%. His majority had been 13.4%.

The Liberals have held Birmingham Perry Barr, Chesterfield, Northampton, Nottingham West, Paddington North, and Stalybridge and Hyde, with Socialist Labour second place in Chesterfield and Nottingham West. They have taken Hornsey and Plymouth Devonport from Conservative. The Tories have held Paddington South and Wimbledon, where their majority over Liberal has fallen from 26.5% to 9.9%. Bessie Braddock is back in Liverpool Exchange for Socialist Labour

This is taking on 1906 levels of embarressment for the Tories. A good job there are no Irish Constituencies or they would come 4th

 

[pipisme]

Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Health, is back in Norwood. But his majority over Liberal is down to 81. Though the swing from Conservative to Liberal is only 2.8%. Socialist Labour have held Wigan. We have news from Belfast that Northern Ireland Labour have taken Belfast East from Ulster Unionist. Stanley McMaster is out. The new member is Martin McB irney, a rwbarrister. Here are the percentage figures:
Martin McBirney (Northern Ireland Labour): 38.2 (30.6)
Stanley McMaster (Ulster Unionist): 28.8 (39.4)
Progressive Party candidate: 33.0 (30.0)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Ireland Labour majority: 5.2 (Ulster Unionist Unionist majority: 8.8)
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Sheila Murnaghan has held Belfast South for the Progressives. Her majority over Ulster Unionist is up from 13.6% to 35.2%.

 

[pipisme]

The Liberals have held Hornchurch and Paisley, and gained Barnet from Conservative with a majority of 6.0%. The Conservative majority was 15.9%. The new Liberal MP is Mr. John Pardoe who starred in the Footlights revue at Cambridge University. (1) The Liberals have also taken Ealing North, Edinburgh East, Harrow East, and Walsall South from Conservative. In Walsall the previous Conservative majority of 18.6% is now a Liberal majority of 11.3%.

Rosa Bancroft has held East Ham South for Socialist Labour. She was elected as MP for the constituency in a by-election in April last year, àfter the tragic death of her husband, Gwilym Edwards, in a road accident. Socialist Labour have also held Camberwell North, Walsall North, and Widnes. The Conservatives have kept Ealing South and Edinburgh South.

With 150 results now declared, the state of the parties is as follows: Liberal - 84, Socialist Labour - 40, Conservative - 24, Northern Ireland Labour - 1, Progressive - 1.

(1) In OTL Pardoe was the Liberal candidate for Finchley in the 1964 general election. Barnet is an adjacent constituency to Finchley.

 

[pipisme]

The Liberals have held Hartlepools, and Wednesbury and gained Runcorn from the Conservatives. Glasgow Springburn and Manchester Exchange have stayed with Socialist Labour, and Belfast South West is held by the Progressive Party. The Liberals have also held Gloucester, Swansea West, and Wolverhampton East, and gained
Edmonton, Harrow Central, Harrow West from the Conservatives.

 

[pipisme]

Barbara Castle, the Socialist Labour shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer is back in Leeds South. Her colleague Ted Short, the Socialist Labour Chief Whip, has held Newcastle upon Tyne Central. Socialist Labour have also held Farnworth, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Swansea East, and gained Birmingham Sparkbrook from Conservative with a majority of 4.4%. The previous Conservative majority was 5.1%

The Conservatives have held Edinburgh West and Wolverhampton West. In Edinburgh their majority fell only from 6.5% to 1.4%. Here are percentage figures:
Conservative: 43.1 ( 49.8)
Liberal: 41.7 (43.3)
Socialist Labour: 15.2 (6.9).

In Wolverhampton West the Conservative majority crashed from 20.1% to1.1%, as shown here:
Conservative: 39.9 (48.1)
Liberal: 38.8 (28.0)
Socialist Labour: 21.3 (23.9).

 

[pipisme]

The Liberals have held East Ham North and West Ham North, and taken Birmingham Moseley, Bristol North East, Cardiff South East, and Cardiff West from Conservative. They have also gained Bradford East from Socialist Labour.

Peter Shore is back in West Ham South for Socialist Labour. The Conservative candidate has lost his deposit. Socialist Labour have also held Bristol South, Dagenham. Glasgow Maryhill, Leeds South East, Pontefract, Rotherham, Southwark, and Thurrock. The Conservatives came second in the Glasgow and Leeds constituencies, and third in the others.

Cardiff North and Liverpool Garston have been held by the Conservatives.

 

[pipisme]

Ian McColl, a former Secretary of State for Scotland, has held Greenock for the Liberals.v His fellow Liberal, Ralph Kilner Brown, is back in Oldbury and Halesowen. The Liberals have held Ipswich, Walthamstow East and Walthamstow West. The Conservatives have come third in Greenock, where they have lost their deposit, and Walthamstow West.

Edinburgh Pentlands is a Liberal gain from Conservative. David Steel, the new MP, is only twenty-six years old. A graduate of Edinburgh University, he was active in the Liberal Party there. His majority is only 273 or 0.5% The Liberals have taken Greenwich from Socialist Labour.

Northern Ireland Labour have taken Belfast North from Ulster Unionist. Here are the percentage figures (1960 general election):
Jack McDowell (Northern Ireland Labour): 38.9 (28.5)
Stratton Mills (Ulster Unionist): 33.1 (43.2)
Progressive Party candidate: 28.0 (23.0)
(Independent Republcan; 5.3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------.
Northern Ireland Labour majority: 5.8 (Ulster Unionist majority: 14.7)
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Northern Ireland Labour have held Belfast North West. Socialist Labour are back in Poplar. The Conservative candidate there lost his deposit.

Nigel Fisher, the Commonwealth Relations Under Secretary, is back in Surbiton. But his majority over Liberal has crashed from 23.5% to 3.0%. The Conservatives have also held Hove.

With two hundred results now in, here is the state of the parties:
Liberal: 107
Socialist Labour: 58
Conservative: 30
Northern Ireland Labour: 3
Progressive: 2

We can now say that the Liberal Party will be the largest in the House of Commons. Though it is too early to say if they will have a majority over all other parties.

Socialist Labour are doing well, do you think, David (Butler), that when all the results are in they will be the second largest party in the House of Commons?

Well David (Dimbleby), that is possible. Though there are still a lot of safe Conservative seats to be declared.

But they are losing seats everyone thought were safe. (remarks Bob Mackenzie).

 

[Observer]

Well David (Dimbleby), that is possible. Though there are still a lot of safe Conservative seats to be declared.

Richard Dimbleby would still have been presenting; IOTL David was still a whippersnapper sent to interview Harold Wilson arriving at Euston on the Liverpool express the morning after.

 

[pipisme]

Richard Dimbleby would still have been presenting; IOTL David was still a whippersnapper sent to interview Harold Wilson arriving at Euston on the Liverpool express the morning after.

I got my Dimblebys mixed up. Richard Dimbleby was presenting the election results programme.

 

[pipisme]

Honor Balfour, the Liberal shadow Home Secretary, is back in Rochdale. The Liberals have also held Crewe, Dartford, Dewsbury, Hampstead (where the Socialist Labour vote is up from 7.3% to 19.2%), Manchester Withington, and Wood Green. Peter Calvocoressi, the shadow Liberal Colonial Secretary, has been re-elected for Nuneaton. Darlington, Ilford North, Tynemouth, and Woolwich West are Liberal gains from Conservative, and Bristol Central is a Liberal gain from Socialist Labour.

Roy Jenkins, who is on the Socialist Labour shadow Home Office team, has held Hammersmith North. Socialist Labour have also held Birmingham Small Heath, Merthyr Tydfil, Peckham, Sheffield Attercliffe, and Woolwich East.

The Conservatives have held both Brighton seats - Montpelier and Woodingdean. (1) They have also held Bexley, and Wanstead and Woodford.

(1) These are roughly equivalent to Pavilion and Kemptown respectively in OTL.

 

[pipisme]

Sir Keith Joseph, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, has held Hammersmith South. We are going over now to our reporter who is about to interview Sir Keith.

'Congratulations on your re-election, Sir Keith.'

'Who do you think is to blame for the disastrous result for your party?'

'It's very late in the night, and not the time for an inquest into the election.'

'Should Mr Profumo resign as leader of the Conservative Party?'

'That is entirely his decision.'

'Does he have your support as leader?'

'While he is leader, he does.'

'Your name has been mentioned as a future leader of your party. If Mr Profumo resigns will you be a candidate for leader?'

'There is no vacancy and I do not answer hypothetical questions. If you will excuse me, I must go now.'

Thank you, Sir Keith.'

The Conservatives have also held Glasgow Pollok.

 

[pipisme]

The Liberals have held Carlisle, Cheadle, Halifax, Hull North, Bolton East and Bolton West. In Bolton East and in Carlisle the Socialist Labour vote increased from 16.9% to 26.0%, and from 22.9% to 30.5% respectively. Though they are still in third place in both constituencies. The Liberals have gained Accrington, Eccles, Liverpool Toxteth, Cambridge, Birmingham Yardley, and York from Conservative, and Wallsend from Socialist Labour.

We have just heard that Ernest Marples, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chairman of the Conservative Party, has lost Wallasey to Liberal. This is completely unexpected. Mr Marples has been the MP for the constituency since 1946 and at the last general election had a majority of 19.2%. The Liberal majority is 8.5% This is a swing of 13.85% from Conservative to Liberal. Here are the percentage figures:
Liberal candidate: 47.0 (36.2)
Ernest Marples (Conservative): 38.5)
Socialist Labour candidate: 14.5 (8.4)

Socialist Labour have held Aberdare, Birmingham Stechford, and Hackney Central. In Aberdare the Conservative candidate came fourth behind Plaid Cymru, and lost his deposit. Socialist have gained Hackney South from Liberal, and have ousted Mrs Margaret Thatcher, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, from Brentford and Chiswick. Mrs Thatcher has been tipped as a future cabinet minister.

The Conservatives have held Birmingham Hall Green, Clapham, Portsmouth South, St. Marylebone, and Sheffield Hallam.

After 250 results declared, the number of seats won by each party are as follows; Liberal - 135, Socialist Labour - 69, Conservative - 41, Northern Ireland Labour - 3, Progressive - 2.

 

[pipisme]

Denis Healey, the Liberal shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, is back in Bradford South. The Conservatives have fallen to third place here. The Liberals have also held South Shields, and Tottenham, and gained Bournemouth Branksome and Bournemouth Moordown and Christchurch from Conservative. (1) Other Liberal gains from Conservative are Carshalton, Leeds North East, Liverpool Wavertree, Manchester Moss Side, Plymouth Sutton, and Southgate.

(1) The Bournemouth constituencies correspond to OTL Bournemouth West, and Bournemouth East and Christchurch respectively.

 

[pipisme]

Harold Lever, the number two in the Socialist Labour treasury team, has held Manchester Clayton. Socialist Labour have also held Glasgow Gorbals, and Skelmersdale, and gained Rochester and Chatham from Conservative. (1)

The Conservatives have held Leicester South, Leeds North West, Portsmouth North, Portsmouth West and Glasgow Knightswood (in the west of the city).

(1) Skelmersdale corresponds largely to OTL Huyton constituency.

 

[pipisme]

There is a recount in Lewisham North.

Which party's agent has requested it?

The Liberal Party. It's a bundle recount.

If the Conservatives have requested it and they have held the seat, it is a good result for them. The Liberals need a swing of 4.55% to take it.

The Liberals have held Poole, Southport, Stoke Newington and Hackney North, and Wakefield. They have gained Bradford North, Bradford West, Bristol North West,
Liverpool West Derby, Manchester Wythenshawe, Southall, Sutton and Cheam, Wembley North, and Wembley South from Conservative.

There is a big increase of the Socialist Labour vote in Wythenshawe. Up from 14.9% to 27.6%. The Liberal vote is up from 37.5% to 40.7% and the Conservative vote is down from 47.6% to 31.7%. That is a swing of 9.55% from Conservative to Liberal.

Socialist Labour have held Batley and Morley, Bristol South East, Leeds East, Rothwell, Stepney, and West Bromwich. (1) The Conservative candidate in Stepney lost his deposit and came fourth behind the Communist. Saint Pancras North is a Socialist Labour gain from Conservative. They have fallen from first to third place.

The Conservatives are back in Bristol West, and in Bromley.

(1) The Rothwell constituency is in West Yorkshire, south of Wakefield.

 

[pipisme]

The Liberals have held Bootle, Dudley, Manchester Blackley, and Stockport North. Basil Wigoder, who is expected to be a minister in the Liberal government, is back in Swindon. The Liberals have gained Cleveland, Shipley, Stockport South, and Stockton-Tees from Conservative.

Barnsley, Rhondda East and Rhondda West have stayed Socialist Labour. The Conservatives have lost their deposits in both Rhondda constituencies. In Rhondda East they came fifth behind Communist and Plaid Cymru. In West they are fourth behind Plaid Cymru. Socialist Labour have taken Grimsby from Conservative; and Barking, and Stoke-on-Trent Central from Liberal.

The Conservatives have held Ayr, Glasgow Kelvingrove, and Solihull. The Conservative majority in Ayr is down from 8.8% to 7.1%, whereas in Solihull it has fallen 28.4% to 5.9%. So far, on average, the Conservatives have done better, or shall we say less badly, in Scotland than in the West Midlands.

 

[sarahz]

The Liberals have held Bootle, Dudley, Manchester Blackley, and Stockport North. Basil Wigoder, who is expected to be a minister in the Liberal government, is back in Swindon. The Liberals have gained Cleveland, Shipley, Stockport South, and Stockton-Tees from Conservative.

Barnsley, Rhondda East and Rhondda West have stayed Socialist Labour. The Conservatives have lost their deposits in both Rhondda constituencies. In Rhondda East they came fifth behind Communist and Plaid Cymru. In West they are fourth behind Plaid Cymru. Socialist Labour have taken Grimsby from Conservative; and Barking, and Stoke-on-Trent Central from Liberal.

The Conservatives have held Ayr, Glasgow Kelvingrove, and Solihull. The Conservative majority in Ayr is down from 8.8% to 7.1%, whereas in Solihull it has fallen 28.4% to 5.9%. So far, on average, the Conservatives have done better, or shall we say less badly, in Scotland than in the West Midlands.

Is there perhaps an "orange vote" in some scottish and liverpool seats that seem to have been held somewhat against the trend?

 

[pipisme]

Is there perhaps an "orange vote" in some scottish and liverpool seats that seem to have been held somewhat against the trend?

There is an 'Orange vote' in some Clydeside and Liverpool constituencies, but it is no more than o ne to two thousand votes in a constituency. It has enabled the Tories to hold one or two seats at the most.

 

[pipisme]

We have just had the result of the recount in Lewisham North. It is a Conservative majority of 107 over Liberal. Here are the percentage figures:
Conservative: 37.9 (44.5)
Liberal: 37.7 (35.4)
Socialist Labour: 24.4 (20.1)
------------------------ ----------------
Conservative majority: 0.2 (9.1)
----------------------------------------
The swing from Conservative to Liberal is 4.45%.

Harriet Slater, the Socialist Labour shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government, is back in Stoke-on-Trent North. Socialist Labour have also held Stoke-on-Trent South, Glasgow Bridgeton, and St. Helens. The Conservatives have come third in all four constituencies.

The Liberals have held Edinburgh Leith, with the Conservatives falling to third place. Brixton, Rutherglen, Sunderland North and Sunderland South are Liberal gains from Conservative. The Liberals have held Wrexham, and Romford.

At just after half past two in the morning of 26 June, 322 results have been declared and the half way mark has been reached. The score card for each party is Liberal: 175, Socialist Labour: 90, Conservative: 52. Northern Ireland Labour: 3, Progressive: 2.

The Liberals and Socialist Labour, and their Northern Ireland sister parties have 270 seats. That is only 52 short of a majority. So, Bob, when will Mr. Profumo concede.

Well, Bob, I expect sometime in the next hour. We are expecting another hundred or so constituencies to be declared tonight.