1967 Glasgow Pollok by-election


The Glasgow Pollok by-election of 9 March 1967 was held after the death of Labour MP Alex Garrow:
The seat was marginal, having been won by Labour at the 1966 United Kingdom general election by under 2,000 votes

Candidates

Result of the by-election

Both main parties lost votes compared with the previous general election due to the good showing of the SNP, who recorded what was then their best result in a Glasgow constituency. However, as the Conservatives had predicted, the SNP drew more votes from Labour, allowing Wright to gain the seat with a majority of 2,201. It was the first time the Conservatives had gained a seat in Scotland since the 1959 general election and the party's first by-election gain since the Glasgow Camlachie by-election in 1948. The Glasgow Herald suggested that the result would be claimed as a turning point by the Conservatives in Scotland, while Labour would have to eat "a lot of campaign words", have predicted an increased majority and a lost SNP deposit. Having almost pushed Labour into third place the result was described by the same newspaper as a "triumph" for the SNP, who had not previously contested the constituency, while the poor showing by the Liberals was labelled "a disaster".