Louth by-election, 1969

The Louth by-election, 1969 was a by-election held on 4 December 1969 for the British House of Commons constituency of Louth in Lincolnshire.

The seat had become vacant on the death on 31 August of the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Sir Cyril Osborne. He had held the seat since the 1945 general election.

The result was a victory for the Conservative candidate Jeffrey Archer. Archer held the seat until the October 1974 general election, when he stepped down due to financial difficulties and began writing popular novels.

Votes

Louth by-election, 1969

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Jeffrey Archer	16,317	58.0	+11.6
	Labour	Bruce Briggs	5,590	19.9	−17.0
	Liberal	John Adams	5,003	17.8	+1.0
	Democratic Party	Sir George Fitzgerald, Bt	1,225	4.4	N/A
Majority			10,727	38.1	+28.6
Turnout			28,135
	Conservative hold		Swing	+14.3

General Election 1966: Louth, Lincolnshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir Cyril Osborne	19,977	46.37
	Labour	Robin Brumby	15,885	36.87
	Liberal	Edmund Ian Marshall	7,222	16.76
Majority			4,092	9.50
Turnout			43,084	74.35
	Conservative hold		Swing

See also

• Louth constituency
• Louth by-election, 1920
• Louth by-election, 1921
• List of United Kingdom by-elections