Tiverton by-election, 1923
Encyclopedia
The Tiverton by-election, 1923 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency of Tiverton
in Devon
on 21 June 1923.
on 22 May 1923 of the sitting Conservative Party
MP, Herbert Sparkes
. Sparkes had been elected at the 1922 general election
with a majority of just 74 votes over his Liberal
opponent Francis Dyke Acland, with Labour
’s Fred Brown badly adrift in third place and losing his deposit
.
from Bampton
near Tiverton, a professional soldier, as their candidate. The Liberals stuck with Acland, who had formerly been MP for Richmond
in the North Riding of Yorkshire
and for Camborne
in Cornwall
and who had been a government minister. The Tory
and Liberal candidates were actually cousins, their grandfathers had been brothers. The Labour Party decided not to contest the election but Mr Brown wished to stand again. Labour refused to endorse his candidacy and he therefore resigned from the Labour Party and put himself up as an Independent Labour candidate.
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 of Tiverton
Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency)
Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
on 21 June 1923.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death from pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on 22 May 1923 of the sitting 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, Herbert Sparkes
Herbert Sparkes
Herbert Weston Sheppard Sparkes was briefly the Conservative MP for Tiverton.He was elected MP for Tiverton at the 1922 general election. Sparkes was 63 years old when elected....
. Sparkes had been elected 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...
with a majority of just 74 votes over his 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...
opponent Francis Dyke Acland, with 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...
’s Fred Brown badly adrift in third place and losing his 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:...
.
Candidates
The Conservatives selected Colonel Gilbert Acland-TroyteGilbert Acland-Troyte
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Gilbert John Acland-Troyte CMG, DSO, JP was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Background:...
from Bampton
Bampton, Devon
Bampton is a small town in Devon, England close to the south-eastern corner of Exmoor and on the River Batherm, a tributary of the River Exe. It is about 10 km north of Tiverton.-History:...
near Tiverton, a professional soldier, as their candidate. The Liberals stuck with Acland, who had formerly been MP for Richmond
Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)
Richmond is a constituency located in North Yorkshire, which elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting....
in the North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
and for Camborne
Camborne (UK Parliament constituency)
Camborne was a county constituency in Cornwall which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and who had been a government minister. The Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
and Liberal candidates were actually cousins, their grandfathers had been brothers. The Labour Party decided not to contest the election but Mr Brown wished to stand again. Labour refused to endorse his candidacy and he therefore resigned from the Labour Party and put himself up as an Independent Labour candidate.
Issues
The Liberal and Conservative candidates sparred over the relative merits of the government’s agricultural and land policy, with Acland urging the government to invest more in farming communities and relieve rates on agricultural land. Brown tried to make capital on this issue too emphasising his role as the local organiser for the Agricultural Workers’ Union. While Acland-Troyte also defended the government’s overall record, Francis Acland was playing up his south-western credentials and his personal qualities. The fact that the Lloyd George and Asquithian wings of the Liberal Party in the area both supported Acland and the party nationally appeared to be moving towards reunion was also offered as a factor in shoring up support for the party in the by-election.The result
Despite local Conservative optimism that they would be able to hold the seat, Acland got home with a majority of 403. Brown’s vote at the previous general election deserted him with ex-Labour voters recognising that he could not win, especially without official Labour backing, and voting for Acland to deny the seat to the Tories. Brown lost hs deposit again. Both the Liberal and Conservative candidates increased their total vote on an increased turnout from the general election (up from 80.1% to 88.1%) but the fall in the Labour vote was the key to the result.Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...