Newington West by-election, 1916
Encyclopedia
The Newington West by-election, 1916 was a parliamentary by-election
held in England in January 1916 to elect a new Member of Parliament
(MP) for the House of Commons constituency of Newington West
in South London
.
It was the first by-election in London since the start of World War I
in August 1914 where more than one candidate was nominated.
, the Conservative Party
MP for Newington West since 1892
, was to be elevated to the peerage. The title was not formally conferred until 28 January, when Norton became Baron Rathcreedan
, but the Commons passed the order for the writ
on 4 January.
merchant J. D. Gilbert
had already been selected as the Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate
. Warwick Brookes
, who had contested the seat for the Conservatives at the January and December 1910 elections, had also been selected as his party's prospective candidate. In ordinary circumstances this would have led to a by-election contested both by Gilbert and by Brookes, who had been adopted as the prospective Conservative candidate, but the war
had brought a different logic. The parties in the coalition government led by H. H. Asquith
had agreed an electoral pact for the duration of the war: when a vacancy arose in a seat held by the Conservatives, the Liberals would not contest the resulting by-election, and vice-versa.
It soon became clear that some sort of contest was likely. The Unionist Labour Party invited Lambeth Borough Councillor W. A. Perkins to contest the seat on its behalf, and the London Trades Union Protest Committee selected Joe Terrett to stand on a platform of opposition to the recently-introduced drink orders introduced on liquor traffic by the Central Control Board. Terrett promptly began his campaign with literature carrying slogans such as "Smash the control board. No more government by secretly-appointed non-representative bodies". At this point Brookes was still considering whether to stand, so Terrett offered to step down if Brookes would agree to stand and oppose the drink orders. Meanwhile, the Executive of the Liberal Association in Portsmouth made a counter-offer: if Brookes stepped aside, it would agree not to contest the Portsmouth by-election
which had been triggered by the ennoblement of the Conservative MP Lord Charles Beresford
.
Brookes did step aside, in the interests of preserving the truce between the parties.
Nominations closed on Friday 7 January, and only two candidates were nominated: Gilbert and Terrett.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held in England in January 1916 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 of Newington West
Newington West (UK Parliament constituency)
Newington West was a parliamentary constituency in the Newington area of South London. 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 system.- History :...
in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
.
It was the first by-election in London since the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in August 1914 where more than one candidate was nominated.
Vacancy
The vacancy arose when it was announced in the 1916 New Years Honours List that Cecil Norton, 1st Baron RathcreedanCecil Norton, 1st Baron Rathcreedan
Cecil William Norton, 1st Baron Rathcreedan , was a British Liberal Party politician.Norton was the son of William Norton, Rector of Baltinglass, Ireland. He was elected to the House of Commons for Newington West in 1892, a seat he held until 1916, and served under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and...
, 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...
MP for Newington West since 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
, was to be elevated to the peerage. The title was not formally conferred until 28 January, when Norton became Baron Rathcreedan
Baron Rathcreedan
Baron Rathcreedan, of Bellehatch Park in the County of Oxford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the Liberal politician Cecil Norton. He had previously represented Newington West in the House of Commons and served as a Junior Lord of the Treasury from 1905...
, but the Commons passed the order for the writ
Writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office.In the United Kingdom and in Canada, this is the only way of holding an election for the House of Commons...
on 4 January.
Candidates
Norton had already indicated his intention to stand down from the Commons at the next general election, and the City of LondonCity of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
merchant J. D. Gilbert
James Daniel Gilbert
James Daniel Gilbert was a British Liberal politician, banker and City merchant. He was born and brought up in West Newington, a part of London around what is now the Elephant and Castle and was educated privately....
had already been selected as the Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
. Warwick Brookes
Warwick Brookes
Warwick Brookes was a British businessman, yachtsman and Conservative Party politician. As his retail and other businesses prospered, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1916, but after an electoral defeat in 1918 he returned to commerce and prospered in amusements catering...
, who had contested the seat for the Conservatives at the January and December 1910 elections, had also been selected as his party's prospective candidate. In ordinary circumstances this would have led to a by-election contested both by Gilbert and by Brookes, who had been adopted as the prospective Conservative candidate, but the war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had brought a different logic. The parties in the coalition government led by H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
had agreed an electoral pact for the duration of the war: when a vacancy arose in a seat held by the Conservatives, the Liberals would not contest the resulting by-election, and vice-versa.
It soon became clear that some sort of contest was likely. The Unionist Labour Party invited Lambeth Borough Councillor W. A. Perkins to contest the seat on its behalf, and the London Trades Union Protest Committee selected Joe Terrett to stand on a platform of opposition to the recently-introduced drink orders introduced on liquor traffic by the Central Control Board. Terrett promptly began his campaign with literature carrying slogans such as "Smash the control board. No more government by secretly-appointed non-representative bodies". At this point Brookes was still considering whether to stand, so Terrett offered to step down if Brookes would agree to stand and oppose the drink orders. Meanwhile, the Executive of the Liberal Association in Portsmouth made a counter-offer: if Brookes stepped aside, it would agree not to contest the Portsmouth by-election
Portsmouth by-election, 1916
The Portsmouth by-election, 1916 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Portsmouth on 14 January 1916. The seat had become vacant when Lord Charles Beresford was elevated to peerage as Baron Beresford.The Conservative candidate, Hon...
which had been triggered by the ennoblement of the Conservative MP Lord Charles Beresford
Lord Charles Beresford
Charles William de la Poer Beresford, 1st Baron Beresford GCB GCVO , styled Lord Charles Beresford between 1859 and 1916, was a British Admiral and Member of Parliament....
.
Brookes did step aside, in the interests of preserving the truce between the parties.
Nominations closed on Friday 7 January, and only two candidates were nominated: Gilbert and Terrett.