Author Archives: Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas

Remembering the Brecon & Radnor by-election

By Richard Thomas | Mon 8th June 2015 - 4:17 pm

B&Rwestmail

30 years ago, in July 1985, Richard Livsey came from third to win a sensational by-election victory for the SDP/Liberal Alliance. In doing so, Richard re-established a Liberal presence in Brecon & Radnor that few had thought possible after a period of gradual decline.

In 1945 the Welsh Liberal party had formed the backbone of British Liberalism – supplying its leader, Montgomeryshire MP Clement Davies, and half the parliamentary party.  By 1979, the representation had been reduced to one – Geraint Howells being the sole survivor in Ceredigion (as we found out last month, history repeats itself; sometimes painfully). He was joined in 1983 by Alex Carlile who reclaimed Montgomeryshire.

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