Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1929
Encyclopedia
The Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1929 was a parliamentary by-election
held in Scotland
on 1 January 1929 to elect a new Member of Parliament
(MP) for the House of Commons constituency
of Midlothian and Peebles Northern
.
It was the first election to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
to be contested by a candidate for a Scottish nationalist
party.
. He had held the seat from 1922
to 1923
and from 1924
until his death.
The Labour Party
nominated Andrew Clarke, who had held the seat from 1923 to 1924. The Liberal Party
fielded D. E. Keir, and the nominated the industrialist John Colville
, who had been the National Liberal
candidate for Motherwell
in 1922
.
The fourth candidate was the journalist and folklorist Lewis Spence
of the National Party of Scotland
, who was the first nationalist to contest a parliamentary seat in Scotland.
, when there had been only two candidates.
With only 4.5% of the votes, Spence lost his £150 deposit
.
, Colville won the seat, and although Clarke stood again in 1931
, the by-election victory was his last electoral success.
Colville held the seat for fourteen years, holding a variety of ministerial posts, and left Parliament in 1943 to become Governor of Bombay, triggering another by-election
. He was ennobled in 1948 as Baron Clydesmuir
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held 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...
on 1 January 1929 to elect a new 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) for the House of Commons 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 Midlothian and Peebles Northern
Midlothian and Peebles Northern (UK Parliament constituency)
Midlothian and Peebles Northern was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1950...
.
It was the first election to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
to be contested by a candidate for a Scottish nationalist
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
party.
Vacancy
The vacancy was caused by the death in December 1928 of the constituency's Unionist MP, Sir George HutchisonGeorge Aitken Clark Hutchison
Sir George Aitken Clark Hutchison was a Unionist Party politician in Scotland who served as the Member of Parliament for Midlothian and Peebles Northern from 1922 to 1923, and from 1924 until his death....
. He had held the seat from 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...
to 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and from 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
until his death.
Candidates
Four candidates were nominated.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...
nominated Andrew Clarke, who had held the seat from 1923 to 1924. The 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...
fielded D. E. Keir, and the nominated the industrialist John Colville
John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir
David John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir PC GCIE was a Scottish Unionist politician, and industrialist...
, who had been the National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
candidate for Motherwell
Motherwell (UK Parliament constituency)
Motherwell was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1974. It was formed by the division of Lanarkshire. The name was changed in 1974 to Motherwell and Wishaw...
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...
.
The fourth candidate was the journalist and folklorist Lewis Spence
Lewis Spence
James Lewis Thomas Chalmbers Spence was a Scottish journalist, whose efforts as a compiler of Scottish folklore have proved more durable than his efforts as a poet and occult scholar....
of 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...
, who was the first nationalist to contest a parliamentary seat in Scotland.
Result
The result was a victory for the Labour Party candidate, Andrew Clarke, who took the seat with a slightly lower share of the vote than in his defeat in 1924United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, when there had been only two candidates.
With only 4.5% of the votes, Spence lost his £150 deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
.
Aftermath
Clarke's victory was short-lived. At the general election on 30 May 1929United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Colville won the seat, and although Clarke stood again in 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...
, the by-election victory was his last electoral success.
Colville held the seat for fourteen years, holding a variety of ministerial posts, and left Parliament in 1943 to become Governor of Bombay, triggering another by-election
Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1943
The Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1943 was a parliamentary by-election held in Scotland on 11 February 1943 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituency of Midlothian and Peebles Northern....
. He was ennobled in 1948 as Baron Clydesmuir
Baron Clydesmuir
Baron Clydesmuir, of Braidwood in the County of Lanark, Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1948 for the Unioniste politician John Colville. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1938 to 1940. His son, the second Baron, was Governor of the Bank...
.
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1943Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1943The Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election, 1943 was a parliamentary by-election held in Scotland on 11 February 1943 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituency of Midlothian and Peebles Northern....