Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940
Encyclopedia
The Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940 was held for the Middleton and Prestwich constituency
on 22 May 1940.
The by-election
was held during World War II
, and the five largest political parties – Conservative
, Labour
, Liberal
, National Labour and National Liberal
– were all members of the Coalition Government. As such, they maintained an electoral pact and agreed not to contest any by-elections in seats held by any other party in the Government.
The British Union of Fascists
had contested several recent by-elections, receiving very small votes. During the mid-1930s, the group had been able to organise sizeable demonstrations, but anti-fascist activity and the banning of political uniforms by the Public Order Act 1936
had hit the group hard. The BUF's main message was to call for immediate peace and a pact with the Axis powers; during the 'phoney war' period this message had been received calmly. However, by the time that the Middleton and Prestwich campaign started, the British Army was fighting the Germans in Norway
; on 9 May, the Germans invaded France through the low countries. The sudden escalation in the war made the BU seem like fifth column
ists, and the seizure of power in Norway by Vidkun Quisling
was a matter of extreme concern because Quisling's career was superficially reminiscent of that of Oswald Mosley
. When Mosley spoke in Middleton and Prestwich, he was subjected to missile throwing and attempts to hit him. The British government was also preparing to make the British Union of Fascists illegal under wartime powers, and arrested several Fascist activists in the run-up to the election.
Nairne Stewart Sandeman had held the seat for the Conservative Party since the 1923 general election
, and had won more than 60% of the vote in the 1935 general election
against a Labour Party
challenge. The party chose Ernest Everard Gates to contest the by-election. With only Fascist opposition, the election was expected to be an easy win for Gates.
The result gave Gates a resounding victory, with 98.7% of the votes cast and a 97.4% majority; an all-time record for any parliamentary by-election in the United Kingdom, and the largest majority in any parliamentary election since East Kerry in the 1885 general election
.
The British Union of Fascists was banned the day after the election, and its remaining leaders interned.
Middleton and Prestwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Middleton and Prestwich was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Middleton and Prestwich districts of Greater Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
on 22 May 1940.
The by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was held during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the five largest political parties – 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...
, Labour
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...
, Liberal
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...
, National Labour and 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...
– were all members of the Coalition Government. As such, they maintained an electoral pact and agreed not to contest any by-elections in seats held by any other party in the Government.
The British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
had contested several recent by-elections, receiving very small votes. During the mid-1930s, the group had been able to organise sizeable demonstrations, but anti-fascist activity and the banning of political uniforms by the Public Order Act 1936
Public Order Act 1936
The Public Order Act 1936 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists ....
had hit the group hard. The BUF's main message was to call for immediate peace and a pact with the Axis powers; during the 'phoney war' period this message had been received calmly. However, by the time that the Middleton and Prestwich campaign started, the British Army was fighting the Germans in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
; on 9 May, the Germans invaded France through the low countries. The sudden escalation in the war made the BU seem like fifth column
Fifth column
A fifth column is a group of people who clandestinely undermine a larger group such as a nation from within.-Origin:The term originated with a 1936 radio address by Emilio Mola, a Nationalist General during the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War...
ists, and the seizure of power in Norway by Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
was a matter of extreme concern because Quisling's career was superficially reminiscent of that of Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
. When Mosley spoke in Middleton and Prestwich, he was subjected to missile throwing and attempts to hit him. The British government was also preparing to make the British Union of Fascists illegal under wartime powers, and arrested several Fascist activists in the run-up to the election.
Nairne Stewart Sandeman had held the seat for the Conservative Party since the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, and had won more than 60% of the vote in 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...
against 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...
challenge. The party chose Ernest Everard Gates to contest the by-election. With only Fascist opposition, the election was expected to be an easy win for Gates.
The result gave Gates a resounding victory, with 98.7% of the votes cast and a 97.4% majority; an all-time record for any parliamentary by-election in the United Kingdom, and the largest majority in any parliamentary election since East Kerry in the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
.
The British Union of Fascists was banned the day after the election, and its remaining leaders interned.