1991 Monmouth by-election
# 1991 Monmouth by-election

The 1991 Monmouth by-election was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 16 May 1991. It was won by the Labour Party candidate Huw Edwards.

## Vacancy

The seat had become vacant when the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), Sir John Stradling Thomas had died at the age of 65 on 29 March 1991. He had held the seat since the 1970 general election.

## Electoral history

General election 1987: Monmouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | John Stradling Thomas | 22,387 | 47.5 | −1.6 |
| | Labour | Katrina Gass | 13,037 | 27.7 | +6.0 |
| | SDP | Clive Lindley | 11,313 | 24.0 | −4.0 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Sian Meredudd | 363 | 0.8 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,530 | 19.8 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,100 | 80.8 | +1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,468 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.2 | |

## Candidates

The Conservative candidate was 44-year-old Roger Evans. The Labour Party candidate was 38-year-old Huw Edwards.

## Result

The result was a victory for the Labour candidate, Huw Edwards, who took the seat on a swing of 12.6%.

However, he was unseated at the 1992 general election by his defeated Conservative opponent Roger Evans, who held the seat until Edwards regained it in the Labour landslide at the 1997 general election.

1991 Monmouth by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Huw Edwards | 17,733 | 39.3 | +11.6 |
| | Conservative | Roger Evans | 15,327 | 34.0 | −13.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frances David | 11,164 | 24.8 | N/A |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Screaming Lord Sutch | 314 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru (Green) | Melvin Witherden | 277 | 0.6 | -0.2 |
| | Unitax Independent | Peter Carpenter | 164 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Corrective Party | Lindi St Clair | 121 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,406 | 5.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,100 | 75.8 | -5.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 59,460 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | -12.6 | |
