ðə sˈiːt hæd bɪkˌʌm vˈeɪkənt ɔnðə dˈɛθ ðə pɹˈiːviəs dᵻsˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðə kənstˈɪtʃuːənsiz lˈeɪbɚ pˈɑːɹɾi ˌɛmpˈiː sˌɜːɹ ˈɑːɹθɚɹ ˈɜːvaɪn, hˌuː hæd hˈɛld ðə sˈiːt sˈɪns ɐ baɪᵻlˈɛkʃən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛvən.
The seat had become vacant on the death the previous December of the constituency's  Labour Party MP Sir Arthur Irvine, who had held the seat since a by-election in 1947.