South Norfolk by-election, 1920
Encyclopedia
The South Norfolk by-election, 1920 was a by-election
held on 27 July 1920 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of South Norfolk
.
The by-election was triggered by the succession to the peerage of the serving Coalition Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP), William Cozens-Hardy
.
South Norfolk had been a safe Liberal
seat since Arthur Soames
's victory in the 1898 by-election
, but the Liberal vote was now divided. The Coalition Liberal candidate was J H Batty, who received the support of the Coalition leaders, David Lloyd George
and Andrew Bonar Law. C. H. Roberts ran as an Independent Liberal. They were joined by a strong Labour Party
candidate, George Edwards, a former agricultural labourer who had founded the National Union of Land Workers, and who had polled around a third of the vote as the only other candidate in the 1918 general election
.
The result was a clear win for Edwards, who picked up around 2000 votes on a very similar turnout to the general election, and exploited the split in the Liberal vote, with Batty recommending those of his supporters who could not bring themselves to vote for the Coalition to support Edwards instead. Edwards was defeated in the next election, but held the seat again between 1923 and 1924.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 27 July 1920 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 South Norfolk
South Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
South Norfolk is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1868 until 1885 it returned two members but thereafter elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
The by-election was triggered by the succession to the peerage of the serving Coalition 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...
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), William Cozens-Hardy
William Cozens-Hardy, 2nd Baron Cozens-Hardy
William Hepburn Cozens-Hardy, 2nd Baron Cozens-Hardy was a British Liberal politician and lawyer.-Family:Cozens-Hardy was the eldest son of Herbert Cozens-Hardy, 1st Baron Cozens-Hardy and Maria Hepburn. Herbert Cozens-Hardy was a lawyer and Liberal Member of Parliament for North Norfolk from...
.
South Norfolk had been a safe 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...
seat since Arthur Soames
Arthur Wellesley Soames
Arthur Wellesley Soames was a British Liberal politician and architect.-Family and education:Soames was born in Brighton, the son of William Aldwin Soames. He was educated at Brighton College, the public school which his father had founded in 1845, and in 1871 he went up to Trinity College,...
's victory in the 1898 by-election
South Norfolk by-election, 1898
The South Norfolk by-election, 1898 was a by-election held on 12 May 1898 for the British House of Commons constituency of South Norfolk.The election was triggered by the resignation on grounds of ill-health of the sitting Liberal Unionist Party former Liberal Member of Parliament , Francis...
, but the Liberal vote was now divided. The Coalition Liberal candidate was J H Batty, who received the support of the Coalition leaders, David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and Andrew Bonar Law. C. H. Roberts ran as an Independent Liberal. They were joined by a strong 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...
candidate, George Edwards, a former agricultural labourer who had founded the National Union of Land Workers, and who had polled around a third of the vote as the only other candidate in 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...
.
The result was a clear win for Edwards, who picked up around 2000 votes on a very similar turnout to the general election, and exploited the split in the Liberal vote, with Batty recommending those of his supporters who could not bring themselves to vote for the Coalition to support Edwards instead. Edwards was defeated in the next election, but held the seat again between 1923 and 1924.
Votes
See also
- South Norfolk by-election, 1898South Norfolk by-election, 1898The South Norfolk by-election, 1898 was a by-election held on 12 May 1898 for the British House of Commons constituency of South Norfolk.The election was triggered by the resignation on grounds of ill-health of the sitting Liberal Unionist Party former Liberal Member of Parliament , Francis...
- South Norfolk by-election, 1955South Norfolk by-election, 1955The South Norfolk by-election, 1955 was a by-election held on 13th January 1955 for the British House of Commons constituency of South Norfolk....
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1918–1931)
- South Norfolk constituencySouth Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)South Norfolk is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1868 until 1885 it returned two members but thereafter elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....