Rochdale (UK Parliament constituency) The Liberal Democrats held the seat at first, with Liz Lynne winning at the 1992 general election, only to lose to Labour's Lorna Fitzsimons at the 1997 election. However, they regained the seat at the 2005 election, with Paul Rowen defeating Fitzsimons. In 2010, the town was brought to national attention when then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown was caught on a tape recording describing a local woman, Gillian Duffy, as a "bigot" after having a conversation with her while campaigning (later described as "Bigotgate" by the UK media), but despite the unfavourable publicity, Labour still managed to narrowly win the seat
1940 Rochdale by-election 1940 Rochdale by-election The Rochdale by-election, 1940 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Rochdale in Lancashire on 20 July 1940. The seat had become vacant when the Labour Member of Parliament William Kelly, had resigned his seat in Parliament by the procedural device of accepting the post of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, a notional 'office of profit under the crown'. Kelly had been Rochdale's MP since winning the seat from the Conservatives at the 1935 general election. The Labour Party candidate was Dr Hyacinth Morgan, a doctor born in the West Indies