Bow and Bromley by-election, 1912
Encyclopedia
The Bow and Bromley by-election was a by-election
held on 26 November 1912 for the British House of Commons
constituency of Bow and Bromley
. It was triggered when the Labour Party
Member of Parliament
(MP), George Lansbury
, accepted the post of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds as a technical measure enabling him to leave Parliament.
from 1906 until 1910 and by the Conservative Party
from 1895 until 1906 and during 1910. At the general election of December 1910, Lansbury had gained the seat for Labour with a majority of 11.1%.
Lansbury had become a strong supporter of women's suffrage
. Unusually among male politicians of the time, he supported the actions of militant suffragette
s such as the Women's Social and Political Union
(WSPU). While support for women's suffrage was official Labour policy, Lansbury felt that this support was lukewarm, and so in October 1912 he travelled to Boulogne-sur-Mer
with Emmeline Pankhurst
, where he met WSPU leader Christabel Pankhurst
.
(CLP), including J. H. Banks and Edgar Lansbury
, by some prominent Labour figures including Keir Hardie
and Philip Snowden, by Liberal Party MP Josiah Wedgwood
and by journalist H. N. Brailsford
. Millicent Fawcett
, leader of the WSPU's rival the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
also campaigned for Lansbury.
The WSPU were very active in supporting Lansbury in the by-election, but some tensions arose between them and the CLP. The WSPU were adamant that their campaign would not be controlled by a male-led organisation, while the local activists regarded them as outsiders. This in particular created problems on polling day, when WSPU cars were not made available to carry people to vote.
Sylvia Pankhurst
's branch of the WSPU was on the same road as Lansbury's campaign headquarters. She supported his campaign, but was critical of him for standing prematurely, against counsel from the labour movement
, and for prioritising women's suffrage above all other issues. Lansbury's manifesto did include other measures, including opposition to the National Insurance
Bill and an explanation of his differences with the Labour leadership.
The campaign was widely covered by the official Labour newspaper the Daily Citizen and strongly supported by Lansbury's own recently launched paper the Daily Herald.
The Liberal Party's leadership was opposed to women's suffrage, and opposed the militant activities of the WSPU by imprisoning its members. When some suffragettes went on hunger strike
, it authorised force feeding. Lansbury strongly disagreed with this, and in Parliament in the summer of 1912, he told H. H. Asquith
, the Liberal Prime Minister "You will go down in history as the man who tortured innocent women. You ought to be driven from public life." Despite this, the Liberals did not stand a candidate in the by-election. The Labour Party also declined to stand an official candidate, so Lansbury's only opponent was Reginald Blair
of the Conservative Party
. Blair was supported by the Primrose League
and the National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
and campaigned under slogans including "Women Do Not Want Votes".
of 1921. The WSPU moved away from Lansbury and became increasingly anti-socialist, while this was a decisive point in Sylvia Pankhurst's split from her family towards communism
. The following year, her section of the WSPU became the East London Federation of Suffragettes.
Lansbury believed that his resignation had permanently alienated some of his constituents, and subsequently declared "Never Resign!"
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 26 November 1912 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency of Bow and Bromley
Bow and Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bow and Bromley was a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Located in the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in London, it was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act for the 1885 general election and returned one Member of Parliament until it was abolished by the 1950 general...
. It was triggered when the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), George Lansbury
George Lansbury
George Lansbury was a British politician, socialist, Christian pacifist and newspaper editor. He was a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1912 and from 1922 to 1940, and leader of the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935....
, accepted the post of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds as a technical measure enabling him to leave Parliament.
Background
Bow and Bromley was a marginal constituency. It had been held by the Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
from 1906 until 1910 and by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
from 1895 until 1906 and during 1910. At the general election of December 1910, Lansbury had gained the seat for Labour with a majority of 11.1%.
Lansbury had become a strong supporter of women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. Unusually among male politicians of the time, he supported the actions of militant suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
s such as the Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
(WSPU). While support for women's suffrage was official Labour policy, Lansbury felt that this support was lukewarm, and so in October 1912 he travelled to Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
with Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
, where he met WSPU leader Christabel Pankhurst
Christabel Pankhurst
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, DBE , was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union , she directed its militant actions from exile in France from 1912 to 1913. In 1914 she became a fervent supporter of the war against Germany...
.
Campaign
Lansbury decided to resign his seat and contest the resulting by-election on a platform of "Votes for Women". He was unable to gain official Labour Party support, and instead ran as the "Women's Suffrage and Socialist" candidate. He was supported by his Constituency Labour PartyConstituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
(CLP), including J. H. Banks and Edgar Lansbury
Edgar Lansbury (politician)
Isaac Edgar Lansbury , known as Edgar Lansbury, was a British socialist politician.Lansbury was the son of Labour Party politician George Lansbury. He grew up in Poplar in the East End of London, and joined the Civil Service at a young age...
, by some prominent Labour figures including Keir Hardie
Keir Hardie
James Keir Hardie, Sr. , was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
and Philip Snowden, by Liberal Party MP Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood
Colonel Josiah Clement Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood, DSO, PC, DL sometimes referred to as Josiah Wedgwood IV was a British Liberal and Labour politician who served in government under Ramsay MacDonald...
and by journalist H. N. Brailsford
H. N. Brailsford
Henry Noel Brailsford was the most prolific British left-wing journalist of the first half of the 20th century.The son of a Methodist preacher, he was born in Yorkshire and educated in Scotland, at the High School of Dundee...
. Millicent Fawcett
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE was an English suffragist and an early feminist....
, leader of the WSPU's rival the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies , also known as the Suffragists was an organisation of women's suffrage societies in the United Kingdom.-Formation and campaigning:...
also campaigned for Lansbury.
The WSPU were very active in supporting Lansbury in the by-election, but some tensions arose between them and the CLP. The WSPU were adamant that their campaign would not be controlled by a male-led organisation, while the local activists regarded them as outsiders. This in particular created problems on polling day, when WSPU cars were not made available to carry people to vote.
Sylvia Pankhurst
Sylvia Pankhurst
Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst was an English campaigner for the suffragist movement in the United Kingdom. She was for a time a prominent left communist who then devoted herself to the cause of anti-fascism.-Early life:...
's branch of the WSPU was on the same road as Lansbury's campaign headquarters. She supported his campaign, but was critical of him for standing prematurely, against counsel from the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
, and for prioritising women's suffrage above all other issues. Lansbury's manifesto did include other measures, including opposition to the National Insurance
National Insurance
National Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
Bill and an explanation of his differences with the Labour leadership.
The campaign was widely covered by the official Labour newspaper the Daily Citizen and strongly supported by Lansbury's own recently launched paper the Daily Herald.
The Liberal Party's leadership was opposed to women's suffrage, and opposed the militant activities of the WSPU by imprisoning its members. When some suffragettes went on hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, it authorised force feeding. Lansbury strongly disagreed with this, and in Parliament in the summer of 1912, he told H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
, the Liberal Prime Minister "You will go down in history as the man who tortured innocent women. You ought to be driven from public life." Despite this, the Liberals did not stand a candidate in the by-election. The Labour Party also declined to stand an official candidate, so Lansbury's only opponent was Reginald Blair
Reginald Blair
Sir Reginald Blair, 1st Baronet was a British politician. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1912 to 1922, and from 1935 to 1945.-Early life:...
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Blair was supported by the Primrose League
Primrose League
The Primrose League was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883 and active until the mid 1990s...
and the National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage
The National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage was founded in London in December 1910 to oppose the extension of the voting franchise to women in the United Kingdom. It was formed as an amalgamation of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League and the Men's League for Opposing Woman Suffrage...
and campaigned under slogans including "Women Do Not Want Votes".
Result
Blair took the seat from Lansbury with a majority of over 700 votes. He held the seat until 1922, when Lansbury retook it. Lansbury meanwhile promoted socialism in the Daily Herald and led the Poplar Rates RebellionPoplar Rates Rebellion
The Poplar Rates Rebellion, or Poplar Rates Revolt was a tax protest that took place in Poplar, London, England, in 1921. It was led by George Lansbury, the previous year's Labour Mayor of Poplar, with the support of the Poplar Borough Council, most of whom were industrial workers. The protest...
of 1921. The WSPU moved away from Lansbury and became increasingly anti-socialist, while this was a decisive point in Sylvia Pankhurst's split from her family towards communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. The following year, her section of the WSPU became the East London Federation of Suffragettes.
Lansbury believed that his resignation had permanently alienated some of his constituents, and subsequently declared "Never Resign!"
See also
- Bow and Bromley by-election, 1940Bow and Bromley by-election, 1940The Bow and Bromley by-election, 1940 was a parliamentary by-election held on 12 June 1940 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bow and Bromley in the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in the East End of London....
- UK by-election records