Peter Wilson Raffan was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 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...

 politician.

Raffan came from Newbridge, Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire (historic)

Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....

, and in 1910 was chairman of the Monmouthshire County Council. When a general election was called in January 1910, P W Raffan was selected as Liberal candidate for Leigh

Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)

Leigh is a 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:...

 in south Lancashire. John Brunner

Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet

Sir John Fowler Leece Brunner, 2nd Baronet was a British Liberal Party politician.Brunner was the eldest son of industrialist Sir John Tomlinson Brunner...

, the sitting Liberal 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,...

, had chosen to stand in Northwich

Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)

Northwich was a constituency in Cheshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.- Members of Parliament :...

.

The constituency contained a large number of coalminers, and Raffan was opposed not only by the Conservatives

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...

, but by Thomas Greenall of 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...

, who was a leader of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation

Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation

The Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation was a trade union which operated on the Lancashire Coalfield in North West England.-Background:...

. Leigh was one of the few seats where Labour and Liberals ran against each other. Raffan won the seat easily. In the Commons Raffan became secretary of the Land Values Group who sought reform in property taxation. He supported women's suffrage

Women's suffrage

Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...

, disestablishment of the Church in Wales

Church in Wales

The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...

 and the temperance movement

Temperance movement

A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...

.

At 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...

 Raffan was re-elected at Leigh as a Coalition Liberal or "coupon" candidate. However he was highly critical of the coalition, and became one of the "Wee Free" group of Independent Liberals

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:...

 led by H H Asquith. At the 1922 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...

 he stood unsuccessfully for election as a National Liberal at Ayr Burghs

Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...

.

At the succeeding 1923 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1923

-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...

 he successfully contested Edinburgh North

Edinburgh North (UK Parliament constituency)

Edinburgh North was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...

 for the Liberals, unseating the Unionist MP, Patrick Johnstone Ford

Sir Patrick Ford, 1st Baronet

Sir Patrick Johnstone Ford, 1st Baronet was a Scottish Unionist Party politician.Ford was elected as Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North on his first attempt, at a by-election in 1920. He was re-elected in 1922 general election, but was defeated in 1923 by the Liberal Party candidate Peter...

. He only held the seat for one year, with Johnstone regaining the seat in the 1924 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1924

- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...

.

External links