Ribble Valley by-election, 1991

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The Ribble Valley by-election, in Lancashire, England, was called in 1991 following the elevation of United Kingdom MP David Waddington to the House of Lords.

The seat was a safe Conservative constituency, based largely on the market town of Clitheroe, but at the time the controversial Margaret Thatcher government policy of "Poll Tax" was used by opposition parties as a policy against the Conservative candidate. The tax was abolished soon afterwards by Thatcher's successor John Major, who had succeeded Thatcher on her resignation in November 1990.

The then-young Liberal Democrats had only been formed three years earlier but had scored by-election "scalps" by winning formerly safe seats, although these were rarely held at subsequent general elections. Indeed, despite their victory at Ribble Valley, the Lib Dems lost the seat a little over a year later at the 1992 general election.

Votes

Notes on Candidates

• Nigel Evans regained the Ribble Valley seat for the Conservatives in the 1992 election and has held it ever since.
• Michael Carr remains the only successful Liberal Democrat MP in non-metropolitan Lancashire

External links

• British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election

See also

• List of United Kingdom by-elections
• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire