Uxbridge by-election, 1997

Uxbridge by-election

← 1997 31 July 1997 2001 →
Candidate John Randall Andy Slaughter Keith Kerr Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat Popular vote 16,288 12,522 1,792 Percentage 51.1% 39.3% 5.6%
MP before election Michael Shersby Conservative Subsequent MP John Randall Conservative

Michael Shersby
Conservative

John Randall
Conservative

The Uxbridge by-election, 1997 was a parliamentary by-election held in July 1997 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Uxbridge in London, England. The seat was held by the Conservative Party, their first such victory since 1989.

The vacancy was caused by the death of the Conservative MP Sir Michael Shersby, who died unexpectedly on 8 May 1997, just seven days after his being returned to the House of Commons at the 1997 general election, although that election saw the end of 18 years of Conservative rule as Labour won by a landslide. Shersby won a narrow victory over Labour Party candidate David Williams.

The by-election was called for Thursday, 31 July 1997 and was the first by-election of the 1997-2001 parliament.

David Williams, the Labour general election candidate was not placed on the by-election shortlist, which the BBC reported had "infuriated" some members. Activist Michael Shrimpton was also passed over, leading to his defection to the Conservatives. The Labour Party eventually chose Andy Slaughter, the Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, over the Barrister Willie Bach from Nottinghamshire. The Conservative Party selected John Randall, the Managing Director of the century-old Randall's Furniture Store in Uxbridge. Keith Kerr, a senior executive with British Airways, represented the Liberal Democrats. Eight other candidates also stood, including perennial candidates Screaming Lord Sutch and Ronnie Carroll.

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