The1967Walthamstow Westby-election of 21 September 1967 was held after the death ofLabourMember of Parliament (MP)Ted Redhead on 15 April of that year. The seat was gained by theConservative Party by just 62 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Frederick Silvester | 6,652 | 37.05 | +12.27 | |
| Labour | Eric Deakins | 6,590 | 36.71 | −24.46 | |
| Liberal | Margaret Wingfield | 4,105 | 22.87 | +8.81 | |
| Anti-Common Market | Oliver Smedley | 542 | 3.02 | New | |
| Independent | Robin Allen | 63 | 0.35 | New | |
| Majority | 62 | 0.34 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 17,952 | ||||
| Conservativegain fromLabour | Swing | ||||
The election was held on the same day as theCambridge by-election, where the Conservatives also gained a seat held by Labour, however at Cambridge the swing between the two parties was 8.6% compared with the 18.4% swing to the Conservatives at Walthamstow West. The Walthamstow West result was also significant as Labour had held the seat since1929, and it had formerly been the seat of Labour Prime MinisterClement Attlee.[2] An editorial inTheGlasgow Herald the day after the result said that while the Cambridge result was "always expected" the Conservative victory in Walthamstow "almost defies belief" given that the Labour Party had held the seat during its crushing national defeat in1931.[3]