Morpeth by-election, 1923
Encyclopedia
The Morpeth Lynn by-election, 1923 was a by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Morpeth
in Northumberland
on 21st June 1923. The seat had become vacant on the death in May 1923 of the constituency's Labour
Member of Parliament
(MP) John Cairns, who had held the seat since the 1918 general election
.
Labour selected as its candidate the former leader of the Miners Federation of Great Britain, Robert Smillie
, a founder of the Independent Labour Party
who had stood unsuccessfully at many previous parliamentary elections.
The Conservative Party
had come third in Morpeth at the 1922 general election
but did not field a candidate in the by-election, and Smillie's only opponent was the Liberal
F.C. Thornborough. Smillie held the seat comfortably, with an increased majority.
Smillie was re-elected at the general election in December 1923
and again at the 1924 election
, but stood down at the 1929 general election
due to ill-heath. Thornborough stood at four other elections, but never entered Parliament
.
Morpeth remained a Labour-held constituency until the party split at the 1931 election
, when the Conservative Godfrey Nicholson
served one term. Labour's Robert Taylor
regained the seat at the 1935 election
, and Morpeth elected Labour MPs until the constituency's abolition for the 1983 general election
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held 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 Morpeth
Morpeth (UK Parliament constituency)
Morpeth was a borough constituency centred on the town of Morpeth in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
on 21st June 1923. The seat had become vacant on the death in May 1923 of the constituency's 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...
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 Cairns, who had held the seat since 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...
.
Labour selected as its candidate the former leader of the Miners Federation of Great Britain, Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie was a trade unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.-Biography:Born into the city of Belfast, the second son of John Smillie a Scottish Crofter. Until into his adult years he spelt his name as Smellie; he spelt it like this even on his wedding certificate in 1878...
, a founder of 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...
who had stood unsuccessfully at many previous parliamentary elections.
The Conservative Party
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...
had come third in Morpeth at the 1922 general election
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...
but did not field a candidate in the by-election, and Smillie's only opponent was the 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...
F.C. Thornborough. Smillie held the seat comfortably, with an increased majority.
Smillie was re-elected at the general election in December 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
and again at the 1924 election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, but stood down at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
due to ill-heath. Thornborough stood at four other elections, but never entered Parliament
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...
.
Morpeth remained a Labour-held constituency until the party split at the 1931 election
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...
, when the Conservative Godfrey Nicholson
Godfrey Nicholson
Sir Godfrey Nicholson, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament .A member of the family which founded London-based gin distillers J&W Nicholson & Co, Nicholson was a younger son of Richard Francis Harrison and a grandson of politician, William Nicholson...
served one term. Labour's Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (Labour politician)
Robert John Taylor, PC was a British Labour Party politician.He was elected at the 1935 general election as Member of Parliament for the Morpeth constituency in Northumberland, and held the seat until his death in 1954, aged 73.In Clement Attlee's post-war Labour Government, he was a Lord of the...
regained the seat at the 1935 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...
, and Morpeth elected Labour MPs until the constituency's abolition for the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
.
Votes
See also
- Morpeth (UK Parliament constituency)Morpeth (UK Parliament constituency)Morpeth was a borough constituency centred on the town of Morpeth in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
- Morpeth, NorthumberlandMorpeth, NorthumberlandMorpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931)