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#OTD Election 1970

Harold Wilson is defeated and Ted Heath becomes Prime Minister

Fifty years on, a look back at the ‘heatwave election’ as Wilson takes his campaign to 'the people', tensions rise over race and immigration and England look to defend their World Cup in Mexico... Image
Wilson called the election for June 1970 after a turnaround in the party’s fortunes.

In 1969 the Tories held a poll lead of 19% and many within Labour were disgruntled – with issues such as price rises, pound devaluation, Vietnam and prescription charges
But a change economic fortunes – such as a boost in the export figures – meant that by May 1970 Labour held a 12% lead in the polls.

Wilson feared that a delay until October 1970 would allow the Conservatives to spend £2 million on a Summer advertising campaign Image
According to Denis Healey’s memoir, the staging of the World Cup in Mexico factored in to Wilson’s thinking.

Wilson was reassured when told games would be played after 10pm UK time. Image
Wilson opted to take ‘the campaign to the people’ via walkabouts in marginal constituencies:

‘I wanted to take the campaign to where the people where. Not ask them on hot Summer evenings to city halls miles from where they lived’ Image
The campaign was fought during a May/June heatwave.

For the first time people between the ages of 18 and 21 would get the chance to vote. Image
Labour’s manifesto launch was overshadowed by the news that Bobby Moore had been arrested Bogota

Wilson immediately sent a cable to the FA President and offering to contact the Colombian Prime Minister personally to speed up a release. Image
In Rome, the Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart quickly exited a NATO meeting to deal with the Moore issue.

When England played Brazil a few days later, fewer the fifty people turned up to hear Stewart speak Image
The Chancellor, Roy Jenkins, planned ahead and moved his meeting a few hours earlier but was disheartened when only a ‘hundred or so’ people turned up.
Wilson claimed that Heath did not want England to win the World Cup.

Heath responded ‘is there no triviality to which this man won’t descend?’ Image
Politicians of all sides were worried about the issues of race, immigration and violent protests on the campaign trail.

Harold Wilson was hit with fourteen eggs during the campaign.
In Bristol, he attacked some of Enoch Powell’s supporters ‘who just don’t bother to listen and simply chant phrases’. He urged them to ‘Go on chanting’.
In Salford, Barbara Castle was heckled by left-wing protests over Vietnam and anti-trade union legislation.

She was reported to have dealt with them well by speaking above them throughout a hustings. Image
George Brown – fighting to stay in Parliament – was involved in an altercation in Colchester. He was said to have given a voter ‘a sharp elbow to the chest’ which resulted in him falling to the ground. Image
In Sheffield, Brown took on a student who heckled him:

‘I don’t suppose you have ever worked in your life. Give me your name and address and I’ll give you a labouring job tomorrow’. Image
The campaign burst into life when Enoch Powell issued a personal manifesto to ‘Halt Immigration Now’.

Heath rebuffed Powell: ‘It does not seem to me that Mr Powell is saying anything he has not said before’. Image
But Powell – despite being a backbencher – was the third most reported politician behind the two party leaders.

In a succession of speeches, Powell claimed a conspiracy within the civil service at under reported immigration figures. He compared them to the Cambridge Spy Ring
At one meeting, Powell was met with 300 protestors chanting ‘Black and White unite and fight’. Hundreds packed into the hall while hundreds waited outside.

It was reported that ‘punches were exchanged between stewards and demonstrators. Image
Wilson believed Powell had a certain appeal in Labour’s heartlands and the midlands and Ministers were advised not to inflame the situation.
Tony Benn made the most controversial attack on Powell by comparing his stance to that of Nazi Germany:

‘The flag of racialism which has been hoisted in Wolverhampton is beginning to look like the one that fluttered 25 years ago over Dachau and Belsen’ Image
Benn was criticised for such emotive comparisons by both the left and right media. He later wrote in his diaries that his wife Caroline had warned him that he had gone too far.

But Benn reaffirmed his view that ‘an issue as important as this can’t be left out’ Image
The National Front stood candidates in the campaign under the slogan of ‘Make Britain Great Again’

But there was hope that Britain was about to elect its first black MP after Dr David Pitt was selected to fight Clapham for Labour (read more on this via @TheCriticMag later) ImageImage
As the campaign drew to a close, many predicted that Labour would be returned with a substantial majority.

Richard Crossman noted in his diary that the public were ‘willing to accept another six years of Labour Government’ Image
On the evening that England took on West Germany in the Quarter Finals, the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe declared the election over: ‘It is now clear that nationally the Labour Party is romping home’. Image
In Mexico, England romped in to a 2-0 lead with just 22 minutes to play.

But in a shock turnaround, Sir Alf took off Charlton and Peters and Peter Bonetti, a last minute replacement for the ill Gordon Banks, became synomous with the teams collapse. Image
Defeated 3-2, Wilson took a break from election campaigning to telephone Sir Alf and wish him ‘hard luck’.

The Chancellor Roy Jenkins later recalled hearing Wilson ‘propound a theory of mystical symbiosis’ between the defeat and Labour’s poll lead. Image
With a nation reeling from defeat, Labour was hit by the release of trade figures.

Ted Heath was adjudged to have captured the public mood in an election broadcast in the hours after England’s defeat. Image
In Bristol, Wilson admitted some doubt for the first time over his style of campaign:

‘I have spent too much time in Labour constituencies and not enough in the Tory ones. I think I should have spent more time in the Tory areas’. Image
Despite contrasting poll predictions, many still expected Labour to hold on. With 24 hours to go the Times confidently reported a poll: Labour by 150 while others ranged between 40 and 80.

The bookmakers had Labour priced at 1/10 having touched 1/25 earlier in the campaign. Image
Labour even claimed that Ted Heath might lose his seat (due to his small majority and the impact of an independent candidate called Ted Heath) ImageImage
Polling day saw a return of the hot weather which was said to favour Labour.

In Trafalgar Square, colour TVs were put up to beam results to the crowd. ImageImage
But when the first results came in there was a clear swing to the Tories. Tony Benn summed it up:

‘In a fraction of a second we went from a pretty confident belief in victory to absolute certainty of defeat. It was quite a remarkable experience’. Image
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