Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain
Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Tom Keen |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Dissolved | c.1982 |
| Headquarters | Manchester |
| Ideology | Anti-labourism |
The Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded prior to the February 1974 general election by Tom Keen and Harold Smith, both business owners in Manchester.
Keen was the party's leader. He had become a millionaire through property development, and before forming the campaign, had donated money to the National Front.[1]
The party called for voters not to vote for its candidates, but for tactical voting to defeat the Labour Party; it distributed anti-Labour literature. Despite this, some of its candidacies received hundreds of votes, with Keen's candidacy in Portsmouth South at the October 1974 UK general election attracting 1.0% of all the votes cast.[2]
The party first came to public attention when members plastered the headquarters of the Trades Union Congress with anti-union posters.[3] It was also strongly opposed to the Communist Party of Great Britain.[4]
Smith stood against Labour Party leader Harold Wilson at the February 1974 UK general election, taking 234 votes.[2] At the October general election, Keen and Smith set a new record by standing simultaneously in eleven and twelve constituencies, respectively.[5] With two associates who stood in a single constituency each, the campaign stood in a total of 25 seats, receiving 4,301 votes.[4] Each constituency was a marginal seat held by the Labour Party, but Labour held each seat at the election.[6]
Keen stood for the party again in the 1979 general election and several by-elections. However, the party was apparently dissolved in the early 1980s, Keen standing in five Labour seats at the 1983 UK general election as an independent.[2]
Results
February 1974 general election
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes[2] | Percentage | Position | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huyton | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 234 | 0.4 | 4 | Labour hold | |
October 1974 general election
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes[4] | Percentage | Position | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldridge-Brownhills | Keen, TomTom Keen | 210 | 0.4 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Battersea South | Keen, TomTom Keen | 170 | 0.6 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Birmingham Handsworth | Keen, TomTom Keen | 105 | 0.3 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Birmingham Perry Barr | Keen, TomTom Keen | 86 | 0.2 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Birmingham Yardley | Keen, TomTom Keen | 111 | 0.2 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Bolton East | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 149 | 0.3 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Bradford West | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 339 | 0.8 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Chorley | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 185 | 0.3 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Coventry South West | Keen, TomTom Keen | 144 | 0.3 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Derby North | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 242 | 0.4 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Glasgow Govan | Clyde, T.T. Clyde | 27 | 0.1 | 6 | Labour hold | |
| Gravesend | Keen, TomTom Keen | 239 | 0.4 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Huddersfield West | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 136 | 0.3 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Ilford South | Keen, TomTom Keen | 169 | 0.4 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Keighley | Deakin, Charles WilliamCharles William Deakin | 179 | 0.4 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Loughborough | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 125 | 0.2 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Manchester Moss Side | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 96 | 0.3 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Middleton and Prestwich | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 234 | 0.4 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Portsmouth North | Keen, TomTom Keen | 527 | 1.0 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Preston North | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 138 | 0.3 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Preston South | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 87 | 0.2 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Putney | Keen, TomTom Keen | 125 | 0.3 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Sowerby | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 157 | 0.4 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Walsall South | Keen, TomTom Keen | 150 | 0.4 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| York | Smith, HaroldHarold Smith | 304 | 0.5 | 4 | Labour hold | |
By-elections, 1974-1979
| Election | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry North West by-election, 1976 | Keen, TomTom Keen | 40 | 0.1 | 6 | Labour hold | |
1979 general election
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol North West | Keen, TomTom Keen | 73 | 0.1 | 5 | Conservative gain | |
| Bristol South East | Keen, TomTom Keen | 66 | 0.1 | 5 | Labour hold | |
| Colne Valley | Keen, TomTom Keen | 101 | 0.2 | 4 | Liberal hold | |
| Coventry North West | Keen, TomTom Keen | 98 | 0.3 | 4 | Labour hold | |
| Coventry South West | Keen, TomTom Keen | 144 | 0.3 | 5 | Conservative gain | |
| Huddersfield West | Keen, TomTom Keen | 101 | 0.2 | 4 | Conservative gain | |
By-elections, 1979-1983
| Election | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington by-election, 1981 | Keen, TomTom Keen | 10 | 0.0 | 11 | Labour hold | |
| Beaconsfield by-election, 1982 | Keen, TomTom Keen | 51 | 0.1 | 6 | Conservative hold | |
At Beaconsfield, Keen stood under the description "Benn in 10 unless Proportional Representation".
References
- ↑ Labour Research Department, The National Front investigated, p.23
- 1 2 3 4 David Boothroyd, Politico's guide to the history of British political parties, p.28
- ↑ Institute for the Study of Conflict, Sources of conflict in British industry, p.34
- 1 2 3 F. W. S. Craig, Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections 1885–1974, p.128
- ↑ Peter Barberis et al, Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations, p.320
- ↑ Labour Party, Conference (vol.74), p.27