1967 Leicester South West by-election

The 1967 Leicester South West by-election of 2 November 1967 was held after the resignation of Labour MP Herbert Bowden.

The seat was seen as safe, having been won by Labour at the 1966 United Kingdom general election by over 5,500 votes However, like many other by-elections during this Parliament, the Labour Party saw a steep decline in its support and the Conservative candidate Thomas Boardman gained the seat with a majority of nearly 4,000 votes.

Candidates

• The Conservatives adopted Thomas Boardman, a Lieutenant-Colonel who had served in the Second World War.
• Neville Sandelson for Labour was a barrister and one time member of the London County Council
• The local Liberal Party association nominated Colin Beech

Result of the previous general election

General election 1966: Leicester South West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Herbert Bowden	18,822	58.65
	Conservative	Thomas Boardman	13,268	41.35
Majority			5,554	17.30
Turnout			32,090
	Labour hold		Swing

Result of the by-election

Leicester South West by-election, 2 November 1967

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Boardman	12,897	51.63	+10.28
	Labour	Neville Sandelson	8,958	35.86	−22.79
	Liberal	Colin Joseph Beech	3,125	12.51	New
Majority			3,939	15.77	N/A
Turnout			24,980
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing