IN the first in a series of flashbacks to previous General Elections, political reporter MARK STEAD looks at York’s political tightrope of 1987.

WHATEVER happens in York on May 6, it will have to go a long way to outstrip the tension created by the knife-edge General Election of 23 years ago.

The night of June 11, 1987, was when the city witnessed the greatest election cliffhanger in its history. It was not until dawn on the day after York’s voters went to the polls, and after two recounts and six-and-a-half hours of tension, that Conservative Conal Gregory was re-elected at the city’s MP with a wafer-thin majority of 147, the slenderest margin in the UK, as the Tories retained their national hold on power.

Having being chosen to represent York four years earlier, Mr Gregory went into the election expecting a second triumph – but, as he told The Press this week, he never anticipated the drama which would unfold.

“Being elected in 1983 was an enormously happy event for me, my supporters, my family and my close friends,” said Mr Gregory, 63, who still lives in York and works as a financial journalist and selector of wines for numerous companies.

“I made the constituency and the people of York, and its industries, my personal campaign. I campaigned for tourism and I put down more Private Members’ Bills than any other MP in my time. It was quite tiring, but representing York was a privilege.

“The run-up to 1987 was a period which saw a series of disputes, such as those involving the miners and print unions, but then, unlike now, the economy was strong. Although the expectation was that York would be tight and I would have a lower majority than in 1983, I never thought we would be going to a second recount.”

That, however, was exactly what happened. The nail-biting Assembly Rooms count saw Labour and Tory supporters jostle each other, Conservative councillor Peter Brown exchange angry words with two of the election tellers and an edgy atmosphere as Mr Gregory and his Labour rival Hugh Bayley – plus an SDP candidate called Dr Vincent Cable – awaited their fate.

"There was a strong student vote, but there was also double and triple-voting among students – some voted several times, which you cannot plan for, and voting cards for people who had left York years before were being sold in pubs,” says Mr Gregory.

“There was also an air of amateurism – one taxi driver picked up ballot papers and then continued his rounds, so we had to wait for them. I remember some disbelief when we saw the ballot papers lined up for and against me because it didn’t seem to link up with what we were being told on the doorstep, and I thought I might be in trouble when I was told there would be a recount.”

Finally, at about 5.30am, Mr Gregory was re-elected with 25,880 votes to Mr Bayley’s 25,733.

“It was wonderful to be able to thank my supporters as the rest of the country woke to find York had the smallest majority in the UK,” Mr Gregory said said.

His nine years as York’s MP ended in 1992, when Hugh Bayley had his electoral revenge.