# Lambeth Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Lambeth Central was a parliamentary constituency in the London Borough of Lambeth, in South London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament (using first-past-the-post voting).
The seat, centred on Clapham, was created for the February 1974 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election, when most of its territory was transferred to the redrawn Vauxhall constituency.

## History

This short-lived seat is best known in the news media for the by-election of 1978. This was controversial because of a high-profile campaign by the National Front in one of the most racially diverse constituencies in the UK; the party fielded a candidate in the following general election also. On both occasions the candidates lost their deposits for want of votes.
The constituency shared boundaries with the Lambeth Central electoral division for election of councillors to the Greater London Council at elections in 1973, 1977 and 1981.

## Boundaries

The London Borough of Lambeth wards of Angell, Clapham Town, Ferndale, Larkhall, and Town Hall.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| Feb 1974 | Marcus Lipton | Labour | Died February 1978 |
| 1978 by-election | John Tilley | Labour |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections

General election February 1974: Lambeth Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Marcus Lipton | 15,594 | 52.8 | |
| | Conservative | Chris Patten | 8,585 | 28.4 | |
| | Liberal | Eric Grenier Thwaites | 5,226 | 17.3 | |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Sylvester Gabriel Smart | 337 | 1.1 | |
| | Marxist-Leninist (England) | Ekins Denton Brome | 107 | 0.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,369 | 24.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,209 | 68.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 48,510 | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
General election October 1974: Lambeth Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Marcus Lipton | 15,381 | 60.1 | +7.3 |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Lyell | 6,704 | 26.2 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal | Peter Roderick Easton | 3,211 | 12.5 | −4.8 |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Sylvester Gabriel Smart | 233 | 0.9 | −0.2 |
| | Marxist-Leninist (England) | Peter John Bratton | 88 | 0.3 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,677 | 33.9 | +9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,617 | 52.6 | −9.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 48,716 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1978 Lambeth Central by-election: Lambeth Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | John Tilley | 10,311 | 49.4 | −10.7 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Hanley | 7,170 | 34.4 | +8.2 |
| | National Front | Helena Mary Steven | 1,291 | 6.2 | New |
| | Liberal | David John Blunt | 1,104 | 1.4 | −7.1 |
| | Socialist Unity | John Chase | 287 | 1.4 | New |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Corin Redgrave | 271 | 1.3 | +0.4 |
| | Socialist Workers | Anthony Bogues | 201 | 1.0 | New |
| | Socialist (GB) | Barry Kenneth | 91 | 0.4 | New |
| | Homes, Employment, Anti-Racial Discrimination | Alan Whereat | 55 | 0.3 | New |
| | South London People's Front | Stuart Monro | 38 | 0.2 | New |
| | Democratic Monarchist Public Safety White Resident | Bill Boaks | 27 | 0.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,141 | 15.0 | −18.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,555 | 44.4 | −8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 46,826 | | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Lambeth Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | John Tilley | 15,101 | 54.7 | −5.4 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Hanley | 9,125 | 33.1 | +6.9 |
| | Liberal | David John Blunt | 2,339 | 8.5 | −4.0 |
| | National Front | Vera Florence Lillington | 830 | 3.0 | N/A |
| | Workers Revolutionary | Corin Redgrave | 152 | 0.5 | −0.4 |
| | Independent | Alan Whereat | 50 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,976 | 21.6 | −12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,597 | 63.2 | +10.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,678 | | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |