Kilmarnock by-election, 1933
Encyclopedia
The Kilmarnock by-election, 1933 was a by-election
held on 2 November 1933 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Kilmarnock
in Ayrshire
.
(MP) Craigie Aitchison had resigned his seat when he was appointed Lord Justice Clerk
. Aitchison had held the seat since he was elected as a Labour Party
candidate at a by-election in 1929
.
, who had contested the 1924
and 1929 elections
as a Labour Party
candidate in English constituencies.
The parties in the National Government did not contest by-elections when vacancies arose in seats held by other paties in the government, so the Unionist Party and the National Liberal
s did not field candidates.
The Labour Party candidate in Kilmarnock was Rev J. Barr, hoping to regain the seat which Labour had won in 1929.
J. Pollock stood for the Independent Labour Party
, and Sir A. M. MacEwain represented both the National Party of Scotland
and the Scottish Party
(the two parties united the following year to form the Scottish National Party
).
, when he was elected as an independent MP for the Combined English Universities
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 2 November 1933 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 Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)
Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
.
Vacancy
The vacancy had arisen when the National Labour Member of ParliamentMember 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) Craigie Aitchison had resigned his seat when he was appointed Lord Justice Clerk
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
. Aitchison had held the seat since he was elected as a 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 at a by-election in 1929
Kilmarnock by-election, 1929
The Kilmarnock by-election, 1929 was a by-election held on 27 November 1929 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire....
.
Candidates
The National Labour candidate was 37-year-old Kenneth LindsayKenneth Lindsay
Kenneth Martin Lindsay was a Labour Party politician on the United Kingdom who joined the breakaway National Labour group....
, who had contested the 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
and 1929 elections
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
as a 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 in English constituencies.
The parties in the National Government did not contest by-elections when vacancies arose in seats held by other paties in the government, so the Unionist Party and the National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
s did not field candidates.
The Labour Party candidate in Kilmarnock was Rev J. Barr, hoping to regain the seat which Labour had won in 1929.
J. Pollock stood for 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...
, and Sir A. M. MacEwain represented both the National Party of Scotland
National Party of Scotland
The National Party of Scotland was a political party in Scotland and a forerunner of the current Scottish National Party.The NPS was formed in 1928 after John MacCormick of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association called a meeting of all those favouring the establishment of a party...
and the Scottish Party
Scottish Party
The Scottish Party was formed in 1930 by a group of members of the Unionist Party who favoured the establishment of a Dominion Scottish Parliament within the British Empire and Commonwealth...
(the two parties united the following year to form the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
).
Result
With the Labour vote split three ways, the result was a victory for Lindsay, who was elected with less than 35% of the vote, one of the smallest vote shares ever for a by-election winner. He held the seat until 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...
, when he was elected as an independent MP for the Combined English Universities
Combined English Universities (UK Parliament constituency)
Combined English Universities was a university constituency represented in the United Kingdom Parliament . It was formed by enfranchising and combining all the English Universities, except for Cambridge, Oxford and London, which were already separately represented.-Boundaries:This University...
.
Votes
See also
- Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
- KilmarnockKilmarnockKilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
- Kilmarnock by-election, 1929Kilmarnock by-election, 1929The Kilmarnock by-election, 1929 was a by-election held on 27 November 1929 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire....
- Kilmarnock by-election, 1946Kilmarnock by-election, 1946The Kilmarnock by-election, 1946 was a by-election held on 5 December 1946 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.- Vacancy :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
- Elections in ScotlandElections in ScotlandScotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, the European Parliament, local councils and community councils.-Scottish Parliament:...