Halifax by-election, 1928
Encyclopedia
The Halifax by-election, 1928 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 13 July 1928 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Halifax
in West Yorkshire
.
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Member of Parliament
(MP), John Henry Whitley
, the Speaker of the House of Commons
since 1921, had resigned
his seat due to ill-health. He had been elected as a Liberal Party
MP at the 1900 general election
, and as speaker had been returned unopposed at the general elections in 1922
, 1923
and 1924
. The last time that there had been a contested election for the seat was at the 1918 general election
, when Whitley had been opposed only by a Socialist Labour Party
candidate.
The result of the threeway contest was a victory for the Labour candidate, Arthur Longbottom
, who won with a majority of 4,951 over the Liberal Harry Barnes
, who had previously been MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 13 July 1928 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 Halifax
Halifax (UK Parliament constituency)
Halifax is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's 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), John Henry Whitley
John Henry Whitley
John Henry Whitley , often known as J. H. Whitley, was a respected and successful British politician whose life and career spanned a period of significant social change, from roots in the heart of the Industrial Revolution through to the inter-war period.- Family and early career :John Henry...
, the Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
since 1921, had resigned
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...
his seat due to ill-health. He had been elected as a Liberal Party
Liberal 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...
MP at the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, and as speaker had been returned unopposed at the general elections in 1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
. The last time that there had been a contested election for the seat was at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, when Whitley had been opposed only by a Socialist Labour Party
Socialist Labour Party (UK, 1903)
The Socialist Labour Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1903 as a splinter from the Social Democratic Federation by James Connolly, Neil Maclean and SDF members impressed with the politics of the American socialist Daniel De Leon, a Marxist...
candidate.
The result of the threeway contest was a victory for the Labour candidate, Arthur Longbottom
Arthur Longbottom (politician)
Arthur William Longbottom was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Halifax at a by-election in July 1928 in the West Yorkshire seat of Halifax, following the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Henry Whitley, who had...
, who won with a majority of 4,951 over the Liberal Harry Barnes
Harry Barnes (Liberal politician)
Harry Barnes was a United Kingdom Liberal Party politician.At the 1918 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne East, standing as a Coalition Liberal. At the 1922 election, he lost his seat to the Labour Party candidate Joseph Bell...
, who had previously been MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East
Newcastle upon Tyne East (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle upon Tyne East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
Votes
See also
- Halifax (UK Parliament constituency)Halifax (UK Parliament constituency)Halifax is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
- Halifax, West YorkshireHalifax, West YorkshireHalifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931)