Edinburgh Central by-election, 1941
Encyclopedia
The Edinburgh by-election, 1941 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 11 December 1941 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Edinburgh Central
in Scotland
.
The seat had become vacant when the Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) James Guy had resigned from the House of Commons
due to ill-health on 24 November 1941, by the procedural device of accepting the post of Steward of the Manor of Northstead. Guy had held the seat since the 1931 general election
.
.
The parties in the war-time Coalition Government
had agreed not to contest vacancies in seats held by other coalition parties, but other by-elections had been contested by independent candidates or those from minor parties. In this case, the Independent Labour Party
(ILP) fielded a candidate, Thomas Taylor
, who had previously contested the Glasgow Govan
seat at the 1935 general election
.
by the Labour Party
candidate Andrew Gilzean
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 11 December 1941 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
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The seat had become vacant when the Conservative
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...
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) James Guy had resigned from the House of Commons
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
due to ill-health on 24 November 1941, by the procedural device of accepting the post of Steward of the Manor of Northstead. Guy had held the seat since the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
.
Candidates
The Unionist Party selected as its candidate the 45-year-old Francis WattFrancis Watt
Francis Clifford Watt was a Unionist Party politician in Scotland.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh Central at a by-election in December 1941, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1945 general election by the Labour Party candidate.-References:...
.
The parties in the war-time Coalition Government
Coalition Government 1940-1945
Members of the War Cabinet are in bold face.-Source:* D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000....
had agreed not to contest vacancies in seats held by other coalition parties, but other by-elections had been contested by independent candidates or those from minor parties. In this case, the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
(ILP) fielded a candidate, Thomas Taylor
Thomas Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gryfe
Thomas Johnston Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gryfe. Born 27 April 1912; died 13 July 2001.Son of John Sharp Taylor, Glasgow; Married 1943, Isobel Wands; two daughtersDL; FRSE 1977; Chairman, Morgan Grenfell Ltd, 1973–85...
, who had previously contested the Glasgow Govan
Glasgow Govan (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Govan was a parliamentary constituency in the Govan district of Glasgow. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 2005, returning one Member of Parliament elected by the first-past-the-post system.The area which the constituency...
seat at the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
.
Results
The result was a clear victory for Watt, who won comfortably, albeit on a much reduced turnout. He held the seat until his defeat at the 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
by 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...
candidate Andrew Gilzean
Andrew Gilzean
Andrew Gilzean was a Labour Party politician in Scotland. He was Member of Parliament for Edinburgh Central from 1945 to 1951....
.
Votes
See also
- Edinburgh Central constituencyEdinburgh Central (UK Parliament constituency)Edinburgh Central was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
- List of United Kingdom by-elections