27 March 1958

Mark Bonham Carter wins the Torrington by-election for the Liberals

The election was caused by the sitting National Liberal and Conservative MP George Lambert succeeding his father (who had been Liberal and Liberal National MP for the previous constituency of South Molton) as Viscount Lambert. Bonham Carter had strong Liberal connections, being Jo Grimond’s brother-in-law and Asquith’s grandson. In Bonham Carter the Liberals had an exceptional candidate and he won by 219 votes, overturning a 9,000 majority and recording the Liberals first by-election win since 1929. Bonham Carter lost the seat at the general election the following year and, although he fought the seat again in 1964 he never returned to parliament.