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Chester-le-Street — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Chester-le-Street was won by Labour at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 22,560 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Chester-le-Street from 1885 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1885–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1885 James Joicey (Liberal) 4,409 43.9% R Lloyd Jones (Independent Liberal) 803 (8.0 pts) 84.8%
1886 James Joicey (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1892 James Joicey (Liberal) 6,453 61.3% Edward Sullivan (Liberal Unionist) 2,387 (22.7 pts) 79.9%
1895 James Joicey (Liberal) 7,370 64.2% Charles James Staney Howard (Liberal Unionist) 3,257 (28.4 pts) 78.6%
1900 James Joicey (Liberal) 5,830 52.0% John Nicholson (Conservative) 439 (3.9 pts) 68.6%
1906 John Wilkinson Taylor (Independent Labour) 8,085 45.6% Slingsby Duncombe Shafto (Conservative) 3,100 (17.5 pts) 84.8%
Jan 1910 John Wilkinson Taylor (Labour) 12,684 64.8% Slingsby Duncombe Shafto (Conservative) 5,793 (29.6 pts) 81.9%
Dec 1910 John Wilkinson Taylor (Labour) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1918 John Wilkinson Taylor (Labour) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1922 John James Lawson (Labour) 20,296 68.5% David Fee Todd (Unionist) 10,961 (37.0 pts) 76.6%
1923 John James Lawson (Labour) 20,712 74.7% Charles Reginald Schiller Harris (Unionist) 13,697 (49.4 pts) 70.1%
1924 John James Lawson (Labour) 22,700 71.0% Michael Dodds McCarthy (Unionist) 13,450 (42.1 pts) 78.7%
1929 John James Lawson (Labour) 26,975 69.8% Edward Geoffrey Payne (Unionist) 20,641 (53.4 pts) 78.5%
1931 John James Lawson (Labour) 24,373 60.6% Ronald Gustave Kellett (Conservative) 8,539 (21.2 pts) 79.4%
1935 John James Lawson (Labour) 29,111 71.0% Charles Robert Ingram Besley (Conservative) 17,210 (42.0 pts) 78.2%
1945 John James Lawson (Labour) 33,788 76.8% Antony Claud Frederick Lambton (Conservative) 23,560 (53.5 pts) 79.5%
1950 Patrick Bartley (Labour) 35,348 77.3% Harry John Martin Millican (Conservative) 24,969 (54.6 pts) 87.3%
1951 Patrick Bartley (Labour) 35,511 77.0% Harry John Martin Millican (Conservative) 24,879 (53.9 pts) 86.6%
1955 Patrick Bartley (Labour) 32,323 76.3% David A Wright (Conservative) 22,276 (52.6 pts) 79.6%
1959 Norman Pentland (Labour) 33,901 75.8% William Rees-Mogg (Conservative) 23,063 (51.5 pts) 83.0%
1964 Norman Pentland (Labour) 32,895 75.2% John Michael Gorst (Conservative) 22,044 (50.4 pts) 79.4%
1966 Norman Pentland (Labour) 32,467 77.0% Charles Maxwell Kirwin Taylor (Conservative) 22,747 (53.9 pts) 74.9%
1970 Norman Pentland (Labour) 33,694 71.6% Dennis Ramshaw (Conservative) 20,331 (43.2 pts) 73.7%
Feb 1974 Giles Radice (Labour) 33,534 59.2% David James Herd (Liberal) 18,726 (33.1 pts) 83.5%
Oct 1974 Giles Radice (Labour) 33,511 65.7% Douglas McCourt (Liberal) 24,278 (47.6 pts) 74.7%
1979 Giles Radice (Labour) 38,672 60.4% James Couchman (Conservative) 22,560 (35.2 pts) 76.8%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Joicey Liberal 4,40943.9% Yes
R Lloyd Jones Independent Liberal 3,60635.9% No
Walter Ashworth Conservative 2,01820.1% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Joicey Liberal Unopposed Yes

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Joicey Liberal 6,45361.3% Yes
Edward Sullivan Liberal Unionist 4,06638.7% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Joicey Liberal 7,37064.2% Yes
Charles James Staney Howard Liberal Unionist 4,11335.8% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Joicey Liberal 5,83052.0% Yes
John Nicholson Conservative 5,39148.0% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Wilkinson Taylor Independent Labour 8,08545.6% Yes
Slingsby Duncombe Shafto Conservative 4,98528.1% No
Alfred Barrett Tebb Liberal 4,66026.3% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Wilkinson Taylor Labour 12,68464.8% Yes
Slingsby Duncombe Shafto Conservative 6,89135.2% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Wilkinson Taylor Labour Unopposed Yes

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Wilkinson Taylor Labour Unopposed Yes

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 20,29668.5% Yes
David Fee Todd Unionist 9,33531.5% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 20,71274.7% Yes
Charles Reginald Schiller Harris Unionist 7,01525.3% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 22,70071.0% Yes
Michael Dodds McCarthy Unionist 9,25029.0% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 26,97569.8% Yes
Edward Geoffrey Payne Unionist 6,33416.4% No
Joseph William Wright Liberal 5,34013.8% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 24,37360.6% Yes
Ronald Gustave Kellett Conservative 15,83439.4% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 29,11171.0% Yes
Charles Robert Ingram Besley Conservative 11,90129.0% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John James Lawson Labour 33,78876.8% Yes
Antony Claud Frederick Lambton Conservative 10,22823.2% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Patrick Bartley Labour 35,34877.3% Yes
Harry John Martin Millican Conservative 10,37922.7% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Patrick Bartley Labour 35,51177.0% Yes
Harry John Martin Millican Conservative 10,63223.0% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Patrick Bartley Labour 32,32376.3% Yes
David A Wright Conservative 10,04723.7% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Norman Pentland Labour 33,90175.8% Yes
William Rees-Mogg Conservative 10,83824.2% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Norman Pentland Labour 32,89575.2% Yes
John Michael Gorst Conservative 10,85124.8% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Norman Pentland Labour 32,46777.0% Yes
Charles Maxwell Kirwin Taylor Conservative 9,72023.0% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Norman Pentland Labour 33,69471.6% Yes
Dennis Ramshaw Conservative 13,36328.4% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Giles Radice Labour 33,53459.2% Yes
David James Herd Liberal 14,80826.1% No
Neil Balfour Conservative 8,29114.6% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Giles Radice Labour 33,51165.7% Yes
Douglas McCourt Liberal 9,23318.1% No
Richard Love Ditchburn Conservative 8,26816.2% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Giles Radice Labour 38,67260.4% Yes
James Couchman Conservative 16,11225.2% No
Douglas McCourt Liberal 9,24714.4% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1885: Liberal margin 8.0 pts 1892: Liberal margin 22.7 pts 1895: Liberal margin 28.4 pts 1900: Liberal margin 3.9 pts 1906: Independent Labour margin 17.5 pts Jan 1910: Labour margin 29.6 pts 1922: Labour margin 37.0 pts 1923: Labour margin 49.4 pts 1924: Labour margin 42.1 pts 1929: Labour margin 53.4 pts 1931: Labour margin 21.2 pts 1935: Labour margin 42.0 pts 1945: Labour margin 53.5 pts 1950: Labour margin 54.6 pts 1951: Labour margin 53.9 pts 1955: Labour margin 52.6 pts 1959: Labour margin 51.5 pts 1964: Labour margin 50.4 pts 1966: Labour margin 53.9 pts 1970: Labour margin 43.2 pts Feb 1974: Labour margin 33.1 pts Oct 1974: Labour margin 47.6 pts 1979: Labour margin 35.2 pts 1885 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Chester-le-Street has been contested at 26 general elections on record since 1885. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Independent Labour, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Chester-le-Street in the 1979 general election?

Labour won Chester-le-Street in 1979 with 38,672 votes (60.4%), a majority of 22,560 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Chester-le-Street since 1885?

Since 1885, Chester-le-Street has been won by: Independent Labour, Labour, Liberal.

What was the closest result in Chester-le-Street?

The closest result on record for Chester-le-Street was 1900, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 439 votes (3.9 percentage points).

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