Editing Shirley Williams (section)

== Social Democratic Party ==
Williams lost her seat (renamed [[Hertford and Stevenage]]) when the Labour Party was defeated at the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Rewind: Shirley Williams loses Hertford and Stevenage. Clip taken from Decision 79, first broadcast 4 May 1979. |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-29932215 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=12 April 2021 |date=17 November 2014}}</ref> Her defeat came two years after her appearance and arrest on the [[Grunwick dispute#Political involvement|Grunwick picket lines]], for which she had been harshly criticised in the press.<ref name="Guardian Obituary" /> When, soon afterward, she was interviewed by [[Robin Day]] for the BBC's ''Decision 79'' television coverage of the election results, both [[Norman St John-Stevas]] – the Conservative's Education Spokesman who had frequently clashed with her at the [[despatch box]] – and [[Merlyn Rees]], the outgoing Home Secretary, paid tribute to her.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecritic.co.uk/free-speech-in-an-uncivil-society/|title=Free speech in an uncivil society |first=Simon |last=Heffer |author-link=Simon Heffer |date=7 February 2020|website=[[The Critic (21st century magazine)|The Critic Magazine]] |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref>

Following the election, she hosted the BBC1 TV series ''Shirley Williams in Conversation'', interviewing, in turn, a number of political figures, including former West German chancellor [[Willy Brandt]], former Conservative prime minister [[Edward Heath]] and her recently deposed colleague James Callaghan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/13367 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017132425/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/13367 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 October 2012 |title=Bfi &#124; Film & Tv Database &#124; Shirley Williams In Conversation |publisher=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |access-date=11 June 2010}}</ref> She later appeared on many television and radio discussion programmes in Britain – in particular, the BBC's ''[[Question Time (TV programme)|Question Time]]'', where her 58 appearances earned her a "Most Frequent Panellist" award.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name="Guardian Obituary" /> During this period, Williams remained a member of the National Executive of the Labour Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=MPs and Lords: Baroness Williams of Crosby |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/740/career |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=13 April 2021 |quote="Member, Labour Party National Executive Committee, 1 July 1970 – 1 March 1981"}}</ref> From 1980 to 1981, she was Chairman of the Fabian Society.<ref name=":0" />

In 1981, unhappy with the influence of the more left-wing members of the Labour Party, she resigned her membership to form – along with fellow Labour resignees [[Roy Jenkins]], [[David Owen]] and [[Bill Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank|Bill Rodgers]] – the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP). They were joined by 28 other Labour MPs and one Conservative. Later that year, following the death of the Conservative MP Sir [[Graham Page]], she won the [[1981 Crosby by-election|Crosby by-election]] and became the first SDP member elected to Parliament. Two years later, however, having become the SDP's President, she lost the seat at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]]. At the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]], Williams stood for the SDP in [[Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Cambridge]], but lost to the sitting Conservative candidate [[Robert Rhodes James]]. She then supported the SDP's merger with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] that formed the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]].<ref name="Guardian Obituary" />