Middlesbrough West by-election, 1928
Encyclopedia
The Middlesbrough West by-election, 1928 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Middlesbrough West
on 7 March 1928.
MP, Walter Trevelyan Thomson
who had held the seat since 1918
.
, a thirty-eight year old barrister
from London and formerly unsuccessful candidate at Bromley
at the general elections of 1922
, 1923
and 1924
. Griffith was also Chairman of the National League of Young Liberals
. It was reported that Trevelyan Thomson’s wife, Hilda, had been approached as a possible candidate in succession to her husband but that her health ruled her out.
chose as their candidate, local councillor and businessman Stanley Sadler. Sadler was the son of Samuel Sadler
the first Conservative Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough
and the founder of Sadler & Company, a chemicals business. Stanley Sadler was a former Mayor
of Middlesbrough
.
was also a local councillor. Huddersfield
born A R Ellis was a trade union
official and councillor in Bradford
.
The adoption of these candidates meant this was the first three-cornered contest in the constituency since it was created in 1918.
r and stating that never before had Free Trade been so vital to industrial recovery at home and international amity abroad. The government’s policy of protectionism was not applicable to the great national industries like iron and steel or shipping. He urged the government to put in hand great schemes of work and to allow local authorities to do the same to improve the infrastructure and create employment. It was ludicrous he argued to be paying the unemployed benefit to do nothing while improvement schemes such those at Middlesbrough docks were held up because of poor government accounting. Ellis countered by declaring that what was wanted was 100% socialism. The government must intervene to provide employment – or work with a capital W, in his words. Sadler had previously put forward an argument that those receiving poor law relief (unemployment benefit) should lose their right to vote if they refused to take work. He was challenged on this during the campaign and said that at a time of high unemployment this should not apply as people were out of work through no fault of their own but in better economic times a man who would not work should not be entitled to vote. It was reported however that Sadler was a strong defender of the Conservative government record in office and was particularly assured on the questions of safeguarding in industry (protectionism) and the economy.
, 1931
and 1935
, the last of these in a three-cornered fight against Labour and National Labour opponents. When Griffith was appointed a county court judge
in 1940, the seat was retained for the Liberals by Harcourt Johnstone
in the resulting by-election
, although under the wartime truce between the political parties, he was not opposed. Stanley Sadler clearly did not find national level politics congenial as he never fought another Parliamentary election. A R Ellis tried to win Middlesbrough West again in 1929 and then unsuccessfully contested Nottingham South
in 1931.
The poll showed that the popularity of the government was waning. Sadler and the Conservatives had been expecting a higher vote and Labour advanced to a strong second place, presaging their win at the 1929 general election. For the Liberals the retention of the seat was a relief. Although Middlesbrough West had been Liberal since 1918 and the predecessor seat of Middlesbrough had been Liberal since 1886 (with the exception of the 1900 general election
), no recent contest had been three-cornered and Trevelyan Thompson had made the seat so much his own that he had not even been opposed in 1924. So, there was no reliable way of knowing how the votes would fall. The result of this by-election came on the same day as the by-election in St Ives
in Cornwall, which was a Liberal gain from the Conservatives. This double triumph for the Liberal Party was a boost to party morale, renewed under the dynamic leadership of Lloyd George and to the radical policy agenda of the coloured books and the manifesto We Can Conquer Unemployment being produced at this time. This turned out to be a false dawn for the Liberals however, as the result of the 1929 general election produced a strong advance in terms of the popular vote and percentage of poll share but only a modest improvement in the number of seats held overall.
Middlesbrough West (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesbrough West was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Middlesbrough in North East England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
on 7 March 1928.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting LiberalLiberal 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, Walter Trevelyan Thomson
Trevelyan Thomson
Trevelyan Thomson was a British Liberal Member of Parliament, iron and steel merchant and soldier.-Family and education:...
who had held the seat since 1918
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...
.
Liberals
The Liberals selected Frank Kingsley GriffithFrank Kingsley Griffith
Frank Kingsley Griffith was a British Liberal Party politician, barrister and County Court judge.-Early life:...
, a thirty-eight year old barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
from London and formerly unsuccessful candidate at Bromley
Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bromley is a former borough constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. Its best-known MP was Harold Macmillan ....
at the general elections of 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 :* * *...
. Griffith was also Chairman of the National League of Young Liberals
National League of Young Liberals
The National League of Young Liberals , often just called the Young Liberals, was the youth wing of the British Liberal Party. It was founded in 1903 and by 1906 it had over three hundred branches. In 1934 it called for David Lloyd George to lead a Liberal New Deal revival based on the Yellow Book...
. It was reported that Trevelyan Thomson’s wife, Hilda, had been approached as a possible candidate in succession to her husband but that her health ruled her out.
Conservatives
The ConservativesConservative 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...
chose as their candidate, local councillor and businessman Stanley Sadler. Sadler was the son of Samuel Sadler
Samuel Sadler
Sir Samuel Alexander Sadler Knight M.P. J.P. V.D. was an eminent industrialist, public servant and the first Conservative Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, the town with which his name is associated....
the first Conservative Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesbrough 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 :...
and the founder of Sadler & Company, a chemicals business. Stanley Sadler was a former Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
.
Labour
The candidate adopted for the Labour PartyLabour 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...
was also a local councillor. Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
born A R Ellis was a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official and councillor in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
.
The adoption of these candidates meant this was the first three-cornered contest in the constituency since it was created in 1918.
Issues
Griffith issued his election address on 24 February, declaring himself an out and out Free TradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
r and stating that never before had Free Trade been so vital to industrial recovery at home and international amity abroad. The government’s policy of protectionism was not applicable to the great national industries like iron and steel or shipping. He urged the government to put in hand great schemes of work and to allow local authorities to do the same to improve the infrastructure and create employment. It was ludicrous he argued to be paying the unemployed benefit to do nothing while improvement schemes such those at Middlesbrough docks were held up because of poor government accounting. Ellis countered by declaring that what was wanted was 100% socialism. The government must intervene to provide employment – or work with a capital W, in his words. Sadler had previously put forward an argument that those receiving poor law relief (unemployment benefit) should lose their right to vote if they refused to take work. He was challenged on this during the campaign and said that at a time of high unemployment this should not apply as people were out of work through no fault of their own but in better economic times a man who would not work should not be entitled to vote. It was reported however that Sadler was a strong defender of the Conservative government record in office and was particularly assured on the questions of safeguarding in industry (protectionism) and the economy.
The result
The result was a narrow hold for the Liberals over Labour, a margin of just 89 votes, with the Tories in third place. Despite his slim majority this time however Griffith went on to hold the seat at the general elections of 1929United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, 1931
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...
and 1935
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...
, the last of these in a three-cornered fight against Labour and National Labour opponents. When Griffith was appointed a county court judge
Judiciary of England and Wales
There are various levels of judiciary in England and Wales — different types of courts have different styles of judges. They also form a strict hierarchy of importance, in line with the order of the courts in which they sit, so that judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales are generally...
in 1940, the seat was retained for the Liberals by Harcourt Johnstone
Harcourt Johnstone
Harcourt 'Crinks' Johnstone was a British Liberal Party politician.-Early Life & Education:Johnstone was born in London in 1895, the son of the Hon. Sir Alan Johnstone, a British diplomat, and his American wife Antoinette Pinchot. His nickname 'Crinks' is alleged to have derived from the wrinkled...
in the resulting by-election
Middlesbrough West by-election, 1940
The Middlesbrough West by-election, 1940 was a parliamentary by-election held on 7 August 1940 for the British House of Commons constituency of Middlesbrough West.- Previous MP :...
, although under the wartime truce between the political parties, he was not opposed. Stanley Sadler clearly did not find national level politics congenial as he never fought another Parliamentary election. A R Ellis tried to win Middlesbrough West again in 1929 and then unsuccessfully contested Nottingham South
Nottingham South (UK Parliament constituency)
Nottingham South 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....
in 1931.
The poll showed that the popularity of the government was waning. Sadler and the Conservatives had been expecting a higher vote and Labour advanced to a strong second place, presaging their win at the 1929 general election. For the Liberals the retention of the seat was a relief. Although Middlesbrough West had been Liberal since 1918 and the predecessor seat of Middlesbrough had been Liberal since 1886 (with the exception of 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**...
), no recent contest had been three-cornered and Trevelyan Thompson had made the seat so much his own that he had not even been opposed in 1924. So, there was no reliable way of knowing how the votes would fall. The result of this by-election came on the same day as the by-election in St Ives
St Ives by-election, 1928
The St Ives by-election, 1928 was a by-election held on 6 March 1928 for the British House of Commons constituency of St Ives in Cornwall.-Cause:...
in Cornwall, which was a Liberal gain from the Conservatives. This double triumph for the Liberal Party was a boost to party morale, renewed under the dynamic leadership of Lloyd George and to the radical policy agenda of the coloured books and the manifesto We Can Conquer Unemployment being produced at this time. This turned out to be a false dawn for the Liberals however, as the result of the 1929 general election produced a strong advance in terms of the popular vote and percentage of poll share but only a modest improvement in the number of seats held overall.
The Votes
See also
- Middlesbrough West by-election, 1940Middlesbrough West by-election, 1940The Middlesbrough West by-election, 1940 was a parliamentary by-election held on 7 August 1940 for the British House of Commons constituency of Middlesbrough West.- Previous MP :...
- Middlesbrough West by-election, 1945Middlesbrough West by-election, 1945The Middlesbrough West by-election, 1945 was a parliamentary by-election held on 14 May 1945 for the British House of Commons constituency of Middlesbrough West.- Previous MP :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...