Abstract
Casual vacancies in the House of Commons are filled through by-elections in the constituency concerned. Such vacancies may be occasioned by the death, succession or elevation to the peerage, bankruptcy, lunacy, expulsion from the House or the acceptance of a disqualifying office by a Member of Parliament. There is no formal provision for a Member to resign his seat, but resignation is effected by applying for a disqualifying office. Two such offices — sinecures of great antiquity — are normally reserved for such a purpose — the posts of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes and References
See A. Norman Schofield, Parliamentary Elections, Third Edition (London: Shaw and Sons, 1959), pp. 374–6.
See Chris Cook and John Ramsden, By-elections in British Politics (London: Macmillan, 1973), which includes accounts of many of the most significant by-elections between 1922 and 1973.
See A. Norman Schofield, Local Elections (London: Chas. Knight, 1962) for the detailed provisions.
Detailed accounts of the first two Euro-election campaigns in Britain are given in David Butler and David Marquand, European Elections and British Politics (London: Macmillan, 1981)
and David Butler and Paul Jowett, Party Strategies in Britain: A Study of the 1984 European Elections (London: Macmillan, 1985). See also a special issue of Electoral Studies, December 1984, vol. 3, no. 3.
The 1994 Euro-election is described and analysed in David Butler and Martin Westlake, British Politics and European Elections 1994 (London: Macmillan, 1995.)
On referenda in general see David Butler and Austin Ranney (eds), Referendums: A Comparative Study of Practice and Theory (Washington DC: American Enterprise Institute, 1978).
On the EEC referendum see David Butler and Uwe Kitzinger, The 1975 Referendum (London: Macmillan, 1976),
Anthony King, Britain Says Yes (Washington DC: American Enterprise Institute, 1977)
and Philip Good-hart, Full-Hearted Consent (London: Davis-Poynter, 1976).
Copyright information
© 1996 Dick Leonard
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Leonard, D. (1996). By-Elections, Local Elections, Euro-Elections and Referenda. In: Elections in Britain Today. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25112-4_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25112-4_11
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-66043-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-25112-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)