Migration on the Ballot?

Smethwick and the 1964 General Election

By: Marc Collinson

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Hardcover | 6 March 2026 | Edition Number 1

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Hardcover
220 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.39 x 15.6 x 1.42

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Migration on the Ballot? re-examines the 1964 election contest at Smethwick. It considers the impact of deindustrialisation, urban redevelopment, and migration on the town, alongside the candidates and parties who stood, and how commentators have shaped our understanding of the result.

The 1964 election was supposed to be a success for Labour Leader Harold Wilson. Yet, while his party returned to power after thirteen years in opposition, the defeat of Shadow Cabinet Minister Patrick Gordon Walker by the Conservative Peter Griffiths at Smethwick overshadowed Labourâs victory. In a town affected by economic, urban, and demographic change, Griffiths ran a campaign most remembered for its anti-migrant rhetoric. A âsafeâ Labour seat in the West Midlands not only voted Conservative but also became a metonym for âracial politicsâ, influencing national debates about migration and impacting the new Labour Governmentâs agenda. However, despite its continued notoriety, the campaign remains under-interrogated, with scholarly attention notable either for its obsolescence or brevity. This study seeks to understand how far these Conservative appeals actually determined the outcome, or whether a more complicated story lies beneath.

This book will be of interest to scholars, students, and those interested in modern British political history, elections, and their outcomes.

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