James Davidson (UK Politician) - 1970 General Election

1970 General Election

When Davidson stood down from Parliament his constituency was contested at the 1970 general election by Laura Grimond, wife of Liberal leader Jo Grimond. Although the overall strength of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons after that election plummeted from 13 to just 6 MPs, had Davidson stood again he may nonetheless have retained the seat, possibly even with an increased majority, based on his record as a strong and popular local MP. Despite Davidson's campaigning alongside Mrs Grimond, the seat was gained for the Conservatives by Colonel Colin 'Mad Mitch' Mitchell formerly of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who had proved his personal bravery serving under fire in Aden. Although Mitchell's majority was more than 5000 votes, and the Liberal Party lost another Highland seat at Ross and Cromarty, and even Jo Grimond's majority in Orkney and Shetland was reduced to its lowest-ever level, the opinion of The Times reporter that Davidson could have held on may nevertheless have been well-founded, given the area's traditional respect for "one of their own" and some reluctance at the time to accept a female alternative as MP.