| Election Name: | 1972 Sutton and Cheam by-election |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Seats For Election: | Constituency of Sutton and Cheam |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1970 United Kingdom general election |
| Previous Year: | 1970 |
| Next Election: | February 1974 United Kingdom general election |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
| Election Date: | 7 December 1972 |
| Candidate1: | Graham Tope |
| Party1: | Liberal Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote1: | 18,328 |
| Percentage1: | 53.6% |
| Swing1: | 39.0% |
| Candidate2: | Neil Macfarlane |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote2: | 10,911 |
| Percentage2: | 31.9% |
| Swing2: | 26.2% |
| Candidate3: | David Miller |
| Image3: | Lab |
| Party3: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote3: | 2,937 |
| Percentage3: | 8.6% |
| Swing3: | 18.7% |
| Map Size: | 200px |
| MP | |
| Before Election: | Richard Sharples |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| After Election: | Graham Tope |
| After Party: | Liberal Party (UK) |
| Turnout: | 56.3% (11.3%) |
The Sutton and Cheam by-election of 7 December 1972 was held after Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Richard Sharples was appointed Governor of Bermuda. In a defeat for Edward Heath's government the seat was won by Liberal candidate Graham Tope, who defeated the Conservative candidate Neil Macfarlane.[1] This was the second Liberal gain during the 1970–1974 Parliament, during which they gained five seats overall.[2] Tope went on to lose the seat to Macfarlane at the February 1974 election.