2000 Falkirk West by-election
2000 UK Parliamentary by-election
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A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Falkirk West was held on 21 December 2000, caused by the resignation of incumbent Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Dennis Canavan. It was won by Eric Joyce who held the seat for Labour, narrowly holding off a strong challenge from the Scottish National Party (SNP).
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21 December 2000
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It was the last of seventeen by-elections held in the 1997–2001 parliament.
Background
The vacancy was caused by the resignation from the UK House of Commons of Dennis Canavan, the MP for Falkirk West. Canavan had first been elected for West Stirlingshire in the October 1974 election as a Labour Party candidate, and had held that seat until its abolition in 1983. He had then won the new Falkirk West seat, and held that seat as a Labour MP until he was expelled from Labour in 1999. He then sat as an Independent until he resigned on 21 November 2000 by accepting the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Eric Joyce | 8,492 | 43.5 | −15.9 | |
| SNP | David Kerr | 7,787 | 39.9 | +16.5 | |
| Conservative | Craig Stevenson | 1,621 | 8.3 | −3.8 | |
| Scottish Socialist | Iain Hunter | 989 | 5.1 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Hugh O'Donnell | 615 | 3.2 | −1.9 | |
| Majority | 705 | 3.6 | −32.3 | ||
| Turnout | 19,504 | 36.1 | −36.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -16.2 | |||
General Election result, 1997
| General Election 1997: Falkirk West | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Dennis Canavan | 22,772 | 59.3 | +9.6 | |
| SNP | David Alexander | 8,989 | 23.4 | −0.9 | |
| Conservative | Carol Buchanan | 4,639 | 12.1 | −7.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Derek Houston | 1,970 | 5.1 | −1.1 | |
| Majority | 13,783 | 35.9 | +10.4 | ||
| Turnout | 38,370 | 72.6 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||