HIGHLIGHTS OF POLL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 113, 25 February 1950, Page 5

HIGHLIGHTS OF POLL

LIBERAL LEADER BEATEN MARGINAL SEATS’ POSITION i / right) (Rec. 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 24. Sir Andrew McFadyean, president of the Liberal Party, was at the bottom of the poll in the London suburb of Finchley, which was won by the Conservatives. An outstanding Conservative victory was in the King’s Norton division of Birmingham, where Mr Geoffrey Lloyd, Mr Churchill’s war-time Minister of Petroleum, had a majority of 5593. Labour’s margain in this seat in 1945 was 12,298.

Mr Churchill’s son-in-law, Mr Duncan Sandys, will be a member of the new' Parliament.. A war-time Minister of Works, he is one of the- chief executives of the European Movement. Most of the marginal seats in the boroughs that the Conservatives calculated they would have to win if they were to secure a working majority have been, retained by Labour. In the new constituency of Bebington, Sir Frank Soskice, the SolicitorGeneral, was the first Labour Minister to be beaten. His Conservative opponent, Mr H. D. Oakshott, won by 3219 votes. The second Labour Minister to be beaten was the Colonial Secretary (Mr Arthur Creech Jonesj, who lost at Shipley, Yorkshire, to a Conservative by 81 after a recount. The Conservative opposition to Labour’s plan for nationalisation of the iron and steel industry suffered a seveie setback at Middlesbrough East. Mr Alfred Edwards, a Socialist member of Parliament, who became a Conservative because he .disagreed with steel nationalisation, was beaten there by 16,783 votes. The Conservative Party had made great efforts to capture the seat, as an indication that the nation disapproved of State ownership of steel. Mr Randolph Churchill, a son of Mr V/hlston Churchib, ivas beaten in a three-cornered fight for the Devonport seat by Mr Michael Foot (Labour).

Mr E. A. Shackleton (Labour), a son of the famous explorer, retained Preston South by 149 votes over his -Conservative opponent. \ »

Mr Cyril Tolley (Liberal), a wellknown golfer and a former French open - champion, was at the bottom of

the poll in a three-cornered fight at Hendon South. Mr. Philip Noel-Baker, the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, had a majority of 12,960 in Derby South, but his son, Captain F. E. NoelBaker, lost his seat at Brentford and ChisAviclc to Wing Commander Laddie Lucas (Conservative!, a leading amateur golfer and captain of Britain’s Walker Cup team. Wing Commander Lucas had a majority of 357 in a fourcornered fight. Mr Platts-Mills Loses Seat The first of the junior Ministers to be beaten Avas Mr L. J. EcVwards, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, Avho lost a straight fight against Mr Ralph Assheton, a former Conservative junior Minister, in the neAV division of Blackburn. Mr D. R. Rees-Williains, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Colonies, Avas defeated by a Conservative at Croydon West by 9?'.’ votes. Dr. Edith SummerskijUf Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, and Mr Michael Stewart, Financial Secretary to the War Office, held their seats in the tAvo key Fulham divisions. The chairman of the Labour Party (Mr Maiirice Webb) Avas re-elected for Bradford Central. Mr Ronald Maekay (Labour), Avho is a champion of European Federalism, was returned in Reading’s North Division. Mr. lan (Labour) was returned in the South Division. Reading boasts that for the last 120 years it has acted as a barometer of the elections by always returning members of the victorious par-y. Mr D. N. Pritt, Avho sat in the last Parliament as a Labour Independent, was def''tiiorl in Hammersmith North by the official Labour candidate. Mr J. Platts-M ills, a New Zealander, me of the Labour Independent group in the last Parliament, lost, bis seat to official Labour at Shoreditcli and Finsbury. A former Communist, member of Parliament, Mr P. Plratin, lost the

Miles End Division of Stepney to Mr W. J. Edwards (Labour) who was elected by a big majority. Lady Pakenham, wife of Lord Pakcnham, the Minister of Civil Aviation, was beaten at Oxford by Mr Quintin Hogg, a prominent Conservative backbencher in the last Parliament. Mrs Elizabeth Braddock (Labour) was the first woman to be returned. Her majority in an enlarged constituency—the Exchange Division of Liverpool—increased from G 55 in 1945 to 5342. The first London result, I-lammcr-smitli South, was heartening for Labour, whose candidate increased the majority in a closely-fought by-elec-tion a year ago by more than 1000. The first Conservative gain from Labour was at Wembley North, one of the marginal constituencies, where the Conservative candidate upset the Socialists’ narrow 1945 margin of 432 votes and won‘by 7557 votes.