1967 Hamilton by-election

1967 Hamilton by-election

← 1966 2 November 1967 1970 →
Hamilton parliamentary seat
First party Second party Third party   Candidate Winnie Ewing Alexander Wilson Ian Dyer Party SNP Labour Conservative Popular vote 18,397 16,598 4,986 Percentage 46.0% 41.5% 12.5% Swing 46.0% 29.7% 16.4%
MP before election Tom Fraser Labour Subsequent MP Winnie Ewing SNP

The Hamilton by-election in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, was held on 2 November 1967. It was called after the former Labour MP, Tom Fraser, resigned in order to take up the position as head of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.^[1] The constituency had been a safe seat for Labour, who had taken over two-thirds of the vote there in every general election from 1945 to 1966, when only the Conservatives had stood against them.

The election saw a surprise victory for the Scottish National Party candidate Winnie Ewing. The SNP took 46% of the vote in a constituency which they had not even contested at the 1966 general election held the previous year, and gained the seat from the Labour Party with a swing of nearly 38%. Ewing did not retain the seat at the following general election, but the SNP have been continuously represented in the House of Commons ever since.