On April 3, 1978 Hollywood star Vanessa Redgrave walked off the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles having won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in the wartime drama Julia. Just three months later she stood in the far-less glamourous surroundings of Manchester town hall awaiting the announcement of a very different kind of vote.
The actress represented the far-left Workers Revolutionary Party in the Moss Side by-election, called following the death of Labour MP Frank Hatton. With Jim Callaghan in charge of a minority Labour government and a resurgent Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher ahead in the polls, the by-election was viewed as a crucial indicator of the country's future political direction.
There was speculation that if Labour could consolidate the 4,000 majority held by Hatton, Callaghan could be tempted into calling an early General Election in October. But if the Tories took a big chunk out of that majority, or even managed to win the seat, then all bets were off.
