12 MARCH 1983, Page 19

Lib gains

Sir: Geoffrey Wheatcroft states (5 March) that the Bermondsey by-election result is a significant gain for the Liberals in that it is the first time that they have won a solid working-class seat in the last generation. I would agree with him that it is a significant gain for the Liberal Party, but it is not an unprecedented feat. In 1969, the Liberal Party won a by-election in the Ladywood constituency of Birmingham and more recently the solid labour seat of Edgehill in a by-election in March 1979, holding it in the following general election.

Andrew Hudson 58 Woodstock Road, London Ell