Complex sentence: Following the death of Porter in late 1996, a by-election was held in February 1997, the last by-election of that Parliament, held a matter of weeks before the general election was called.
Split into simpler sentences: Following the death of Porter in late 1996, a by-election was held in February 1997. This was the last by-election of that Parliament, held a matter of weeks before the general election was called.