Evening star., 1945-07-06
Tory and Labor Paper!
Claiming Victory in
Election in Britain
BY the Associated Press.

ny lHt Seoutfstcu Fteoe. 77
LONDON, July 6.-The Con-
servative press maintained today
that yesterdays general elections
had almost certainly" resulted
In a victory for Prime Minister
Churchill's government, but
Labor party organs held the
Conservatives had lost their alb
solute majority In Parliament.
Results will not be known until
July &c, after the soldier vote is
counted.
Observers agreed there was a near
record turnout estimated at almost
"a 900 900 voters--S0 per cent of the
eligible electorate of 10000, 600
lured by good weather and a hectic
campaign battle between the Con-
seryative program of free enterprise
and the Labor platform OF partial
national alization OF industry.
THE Daily Herald, Labor news
pa per claimed the least optimistic
forecast" gave Labor 266 seats In the
new House of Commons rs against
the 163 members 1t had In the dis
solved Parliament. 1t said there
were confident predictions that the
Tory tConservativel vote was a
minority of the total cast"
The Conservative Daily Express
said most cautious" estimates gave
A majority OF so to 90 seats for the
government"
At the time OF dissolution the
Conservative party had s58 of the
615 seats in Commons, but with
allied parties 1t had a working ma
jority OF nearly 200 seats. With $40
seats In the new Commons 1t will
take 32l for party or bloc to have
a ma jority.
Complaining factors included the
soldier vote, population shifts be-
cause OF war work, and the l0-yesr
lapse since the last elections, which
meant that about one-third of the
eligible electorate never had voted
before.
The shifting of population and the
German air blitz played havoc with
election records. 1t was estimated
that thousands who tried to vote
found themselves disqualified be-
cause their names were lost from
the polling registers
Among those disenfranchised was
Mr.. Churchill himself. He spent
election day instead touring his
constituency by car, shouting Have
you all voted?"
The Express predicted Mr..
Churchill would win by 20 to over
his independent opponent and
called Foreign Secretary Anthony
Eden certainty" 1t conceded
the likely reelection of Laborite
Leader Clement Attlee and possibly
of his lieutensnts, Ernest Bevin and
Herbert Morrison, all members of
the former coalition cabinet.
Several big-nsme Conservatives
were listed by the newspaper as
doubtful" of retaining their seats
including First Lord of the Ad-
mirslty Brendon Bracken, Minister
OF War Sir James Grigg and Leslie
Hore -Belishs. Minister of National
Insurance.
The new Parliament will assemble
August to elect a speaker and
swear in the new members. but the
state opening by the; Hing IS set for
August 8 to allow eleaFznceJ after
the August bank holiday.
; Meanwhile, Mr.. Churchill looked
forward to few days Of rest at an
undisclosed retreat before going to
Germany for a meeting with Presi-
dent Truman and Premier Stain.
An announcement from No. 10
Downing street said the Prime Min
lister will shortly be going abroad" !"
but his whereabouts would remain
secret lin order that his rest may
be as complete as possible"
A Paris dispatch quoted Bor-
deaux newspaper as saying Mr..
Churchill was expected to vacation
near Hendsye on the French-Spsn-
ish border.