Abstract
The composition of parliament changes slowly. On average 47 incumbents have been defeated in each post-war general election, and 55 have retired voluntarily; a further 10 have died or retired each year during the life of parliaments. Of the 635 members elected in October 1974, 469 were returned in May 1979. The remaining 166 places were filled by 26 MPs returned in by-elections (including 4 ex-MPs), 11 more ex-MPs making a comeback, and 129 complete newcomers. These figures are fairly close to the pattern of the past.
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Notes
See C. Hitchens, The Tribune Group goes missing’ New Statesman, (July 21, 1978).
See D. Butler and M. Pinto-Duschinsky,‘The Conservative Elite 1918–78’ in Z. Layton-Henry, Conservative Party Politics, (London, 1980);
C. Mellors, The British MP, (Farnborough, 1978). See also the CBI working party report, Helping MPs into Parliament, (London, 1978).
See D. Butler,‘The Renomination of MPs’, Parliamentary Affairs, (Spring 1978).
See P. McCormick, Enemies of Democracy, (London, 1979) for one description of the affair.
See also Lord Denning’s Judgment, The Times, (February 8, 1978).
See M. Colquhoun, The Northampton Story’, New Statesman, (October 21, 1977).
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© 1980 David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh
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Butler, D., Kavanagh, D. (1980). Selecting Candidates. In: The British General Election of 1979. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04755-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04755-0_14
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