Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from CFMPB)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description

Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

The Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded before the February 1974 general election by Tom Keen and Harold Smith, both business owners in Manchester.

Keen was the party's leader. Before forming the campaign, he had become a millionaire through property development. The party called for voters not to vote for its candidates, but for tactical voting to defeat the Labour Party; it distributed anti-Labour literature. Despite this, some of its candidacies received hundreds of votes, with Keen's candidacy in Portsmouth North at the October 1974 general election attracting 1.0% of all the votes cast.[1]

The party first came to public attention when members plastered the headquarters of the Trades Union Congress with anti-union posters.[2] It was also strongly opposed to the Communist Party of Great Britain.[3]

Smith stood against Labour Party leader Harold Wilson at the February 1974 general election, taking 234 votes.[1] Keen and Smith set a new record at the October general election by standing simultaneously in eleven and twelve constituencies, respectively.[4] With two associates who stood in a single constituency each, the campaign stood in a total of 25 seats, receiving 4,301 votes.[3] Each constituency was a marginal seat held by the Labour Party, but Labour held each seat at the election.[5]

Keen stood for the party again in the 1979 general election and several by-elections. However, the party was apparently dissolved in the early 1980s, Keen standing in five Labour seats at the 1983 general election as an independent.[1]

Results

February 1974 general election

Constituency Candidate Votes[1] Percentage Position Result
Huyton Template:Sortname 234 0.4 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

October 1974 general election

Constituency Candidate Votes[3] Percentage Position Result
Aldridge-Brownhills Template:Sortname 210 0.4 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Battersea South Template:Sortname 170 0.6 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Birmingham Handsworth Template:Sortname 105 0.3 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Birmingham Perry Barr Template:Sortname 86 0.2 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Birmingham Yardley Template:Sortname 111 0.2 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Bolton East Template:Sortname 149 0.3 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Bradford West Template:Sortname 339 0.8 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Chorley Template:Sortname 185 0.3 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Coventry South West Template:Sortname 144 0.3 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Derby North Template:Sortname 242 0.4 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Glasgow Govan Template:Sortname 27 0.1 6
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Gravesend Template:Sortname 239 0.4 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Huddersfield West Template:Sortname 136 0.3 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Ilford South Template:Sortname 169 0.4 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Keighley Template:Sortname 179 0.4 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Loughborough Template:Sortname 125 0.2 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Manchester Moss Side Template:Sortname 96 0.3 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Middleton and Prestwich Template:Sortname 234 0.4 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Portsmouth North Template:Sortname 527 1.0 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Preston North Template:Sortname 138 0.3 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Preston South Template:Sortname 87 0.2 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Putney Template:Sortname 125 0.3 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Sowerby Template:Sortname 157 0.4 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Walsall South Template:Sortname 150 0.4 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

York Template:Sortname 304 0.5 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

By-elections, 1974–1979

Election Candidate Votes Percentage Position Result
1976 Coventry North West Template:Sortname 40 0.1 6
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

1979 general election

Constituency Candidate Votes Percentage Position Result
Bristol North West Template:Sortname 73 0.1 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell gain

Bristol South East Template:Sortname 66 0.1 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Colne Valley Template:Sortname 101 0.2 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Coventry North West Template:Sortname 98 0.3 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

Coventry South West Template:Sortname 144 0.3 5
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell gain

Huddersfield West Template:Sortname 101 0.2 4
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell gain

By-elections, 1979–1983

Election Candidate Votes Percentage Position Result
1981 Warrington Template:Sortname 10 0.0 11
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

1982 Beaconsfield Template:Sortname 51 0.1 6
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell hold

At Beaconsfield, Keen stood under the description "Benn in 10 unless Proportional Representation".

References

  1. a b c d David Boothroyd, Politico's guide to the history of British political parties, p. 28.
  2. Institute for the Study of Conflict, Sources of conflict in British industry, p. 34.
  3. a b c F. W. S. Craig, Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections 1885–1974, p. 128.
  4. Peter Barberis et al, Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations, p. 320.
  5. Labour Party, Conference (vol. 74), p. 27.