New Conservative Party | |
---|---|
Founder | John E. Dayton |
Founded | March 1960 |
Dissolved | Autumn 1961 |
Ideology | British Nationalism |
The New Conservative Party was a minor nationalist political party in the United Kingdom.
The party was founded in March 1960 by John E. Dayton, [1] a civil engineer living in Dorking, Surrey. He described it as a party "neither of the extreme right nor left", [2] although The History of British Political Parties describes its main policy as British nationalism. [3]
Dayton stood as a candidate first in the 1960 Harrow West by-election, [2] at which he took 4.7% of the vote – which proved to be the party's highest ever share. [3] Following this, he launched a party newsletter, Watching Brief, and then in November stood in the Bolton East by-election. [3] He took only 1.2% of the vote in Bolton East, [4] while fellow party member C. F. H. Gilliard fared even worse in the 1960 Mid Bedfordshire by-election, with 0.6% of the votes cast. [5]
In May 1961, the party was renamed as the True Conservative Party, but this change did not revive its fortunes, and it was dissolved in the autumn. [1] However, Dayton founded the Patriotic Front for Political Action and stood in the 1961 Oswestry by-election, at which he took a 2.8% share. [3] He soon ceased publishing Watching Brief, and dissolved the new party in February 1962, joining the Labour Party, [3] and standing for the party in Westmorland at the 1966 general election. [6]
New Conservative Party | |
---|---|
Founder | John E. Dayton |
Founded | March 1960 |
Dissolved | Autumn 1961 |
Ideology | British Nationalism |
The New Conservative Party was a minor nationalist political party in the United Kingdom.
The party was founded in March 1960 by John E. Dayton, [1] a civil engineer living in Dorking, Surrey. He described it as a party "neither of the extreme right nor left", [2] although The History of British Political Parties describes its main policy as British nationalism. [3]
Dayton stood as a candidate first in the 1960 Harrow West by-election, [2] at which he took 4.7% of the vote – which proved to be the party's highest ever share. [3] Following this, he launched a party newsletter, Watching Brief, and then in November stood in the Bolton East by-election. [3] He took only 1.2% of the vote in Bolton East, [4] while fellow party member C. F. H. Gilliard fared even worse in the 1960 Mid Bedfordshire by-election, with 0.6% of the votes cast. [5]
In May 1961, the party was renamed as the True Conservative Party, but this change did not revive its fortunes, and it was dissolved in the autumn. [1] However, Dayton founded the Patriotic Front for Political Action and stood in the 1961 Oswestry by-election, at which he took a 2.8% share. [3] He soon ceased publishing Watching Brief, and dissolved the new party in February 1962, joining the Labour Party, [3] and standing for the party in Westmorland at the 1966 general election. [6]