Conservatives win Ilford from Labour by 5,497 votes The Conservatives won the Redbridge, Ilford, North, by-election by 5,497 votes, a swing of 6.9 per cent. The Liberals held off the National Front by the narrow margin of 122 votes. The Tories held the seat for 20 years before losing at the last general election. The swing to the Tories was less than predicted but enough, if repeated nationally, to return a Tory Government. Liberals narrowly beat National Front Mr Ron Hayward, general secretarv of the Labour Partv, said: " We had a good candidate wvho fought a good campaign. The result is an unpleasant triumph for Mrs Thatcher's race-scare campaign. "It undoubtedly had an effect upon some Labour voters. She has fooled some of the people some cf the time. To fnol people in a general election she would have to demonstrate how 3 per cent of the popula- tion can swamp 97 per cent." Mr Rees, the Home Secretary, said: "It is a good result for the Labour Partv in terms of swving. If it had been 10 per cent or 11 per cent I would have been extremely worried.'' Scuffles broke out in the town hall entrance between a handful of rival suoporters just after the declaration. Police escorted away several chanting and banner-wvaving demonstrators and dispersed the crowd. Diary, page 16 By Fred Emery Polirical Editor The Conservatives hand- somely captured the Labour marginal seat in the controver- sial Redbridge, Ilford, North, by-election. The majoriry for MJir Vivian Bendall the victor, was 5,497, an ampl._ enough conversion of the previous Labour margin of 778 However, the 6.9 per cent swing from Labour to the Con- ser-varive was vastly less than the opinion polls had been pre- dicting and was we' lbelow the average swving which Conserva- tives have been inflicting on the Government in the 17 by- elections since the general election in October, 1974. But that is scant comfort for MIr Callaghan; a similar swing in a general election would re- turn a Conservative Govern- ment with a comfortable majority. There wvas even less comfort for the Liberals. Their candi- date scraped into third posi- sion, 122 votes ahead of the National Front candidate. But the Liberals' share of the vote dropped to 5 per cent, down from 16.6 per cent in the general election. Mrs Thatcher said on hearing the newvs early this morning: ;This is a handsome gain, yet ancther in the series of Con- scrvative by-election victories. The people backed us and sacked Labour." The result wvas: V. Blendall (C) 22,548 T. =owell (Lab) 17,051 J. Freeman (L) 2,248 J. Huglies (Nat Front) 2,126 T. Tremonger (C Ind Dem) 671 C. Rowe (E London People's Front) 89 A. Burr (New Britain) 4S WV. Boaks (Public Safety) 3S C majority 5,497 Electorate: 65,709. General election: Mrs M. Miller (Lab), 20,621 MIr T. Iremonger (C). 19,843; Mr G. Wilson (L), S0S0. Lab majoritv, 778. Mr Vivian Bendall: Winner of seat taken from Labour. Lord Thorneycroft, chairman of the Conservative Party, said: " A great achievement. A vindi- cation of the policies and leadership shown by the Con- servative Party under Mrs Thatcher and her team of able colleagues. A condemnation of Labour's policies on prices, jobs, education and much else. They plainly failed to obscure these faults with wild attacks on immnigration policy." Mr Bendall, the by-election victor, told the crowd outside Redbridge Towvn Hall: "I shall support all people and colours and creeds in Ilford, Nortlh, and I shall do my best to represent them." Conservatives win Ilford from Labour by 5I497 votes