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.
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.