1979 Manchester Central by-election

1979 Manchester Central by-election

← May 1979 27 September 1979 1983 →
Manchester Central constituency
Turnout	33.8% 29.9 pp
First party Second party Third party   LAB LIB CON Candidate Bob Litherland Anthony Parkinson Stephen Lea Party Labour Liberal Conservative Popular vote 7,494 1,502 1,275 Percentage 70.7% 14.2% 12.0% Swing 0.0 pp 8.9 pp 10.1 pp
MP before election Harold Lever Labour Subsequent MP Bob Litherland Labour

The 1979 Manchester Central by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 September 1979 for the British House of Commons constituency of Manchester Central.

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Harold Lever had been made a life peer on 3 July 1979. He had held the seat since its creation for the February 1974 general election, having represented previous constituencies in Manchester since the 1945 general election.

Being held less than five months after the 1979 general election (where the Tories had won power from Labour after five years), it was the first by-election of the 1979–1983 parliament.