Liverpool Walton by-election, 1991

The Liverpool Walton by-election was held on 4 July 1991, following the death of the Labour Party Member of Parliament Eric Heffer for Liverpool Walton, on 27 May.

The constituency had become a safe Labour seat under Heffer, who was known as being on the left of the party and a member of the Campaign Group. The Trotskyist Militant group, using entryist tactics was working within the Labour Party, and had gained control of Liverpool City Council in 1982. The city had become a significant base for the group.

When Heffer announced his retirement, Lesley Mahmood, a "Broad Left" councillor and a member of Militant, stood for the Labour nomination. Peter Kilfoyle, who had been the Labour Party organiser in the city since 1985, gained the nomination by a narrow margin; he had been involved in removing Militant influence from the Liverpool Labour Party. Mahmood stood as a "Walton Real Labour" candidate.

Several other candidates stood. The Liberal Democrat candidate was Paul Clark, a local councillor who had been the Liberal Party candidate in the 1987 general election. The Conservatives, who had little support in the constituency, although they had held it until 1964, stood Berkeley Greenwood. Screaming Lord Sutch stood for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, and George Lee-Delisle stood on a platform advocating proportional representation.

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