Westhoughton by-election, 1951
Encyclopedia
The Westhoughton by-election took place on 21 June 1951. The contest followed the resignation of the sitting Labour Party
member of parliament
, Rhys Davies
.
In April 1951 Davies, who had held the Westhoughton constituency
in south Lancashire
for thirty years, announced that he would not be standing for parliament again. At the time he was Labour's longest serving MP
. He subsequently resigned from the Commons due to ill health, and the writ
to hold a byelection to fill the vacancy was moved on 31 May. At the time of Davies's resignation, the Labour Party held a slim majority of only five seats, following the 1950 general election
. Davies had secured a majority of nearly 12,000 votes over the Conservatives
in 1950.
Nominations for the byelection closed on 12 June, and there were only two candidates: J T "Tom" Price
, the forty-eight year old chief legal officer of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
for the Labour Party; and Frank J Land, a thirty-eight year old master baker from Bolton
for the Conservatives.
Tom Price belonged to the same trades union as Davies, and had strong connections with south Lancashire. Land was a member of the Bolton Chamber of Trade, and vice-chairman of Bolton Young Conservatives. On 14 June Winston Churchill
, Conservative leader, issued a statement in support of Land and attacking the Labour government who he blamed for the fall in the value of the pound
. Price campaigned on the record of the Labour government, claiming it had done a great deal to improve the life of ordinary people. Land called for an end to nationalisation
of industries, claiming this led to higher prices. Both candidates supported a programme of building large numbers of council house
s.
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,...
, Rhys Davies
Rhys Davies (politician)
Rhys John Davies was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician.Davies was born in Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the son of Rhys and Ann Davies. After an elementary education he initially worked as a farm labourer. He subsequently moved to the Rhondda Valley, where he worked as a...
.
In April 1951 Davies, who had held the Westhoughton constituency
Westhoughton (UK Parliament constituency)
Westhoughton was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire, England. Centred on the former mining and cotton town of Westhoughton, it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in south Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
for thirty years, announced that he would not be standing for parliament again. At the time he was Labour's longest serving MP
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,...
. He subsequently resigned from the Commons due to ill health, and the writ
Writ
In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...
to hold a byelection to fill the vacancy was moved on 31 May. At the time of Davies's resignation, the Labour Party held a slim majority of only five seats, following the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
. Davies had secured a majority of nearly 12,000 votes over 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...
in 1950.
Nominations for the byelection closed on 12 June, and there were only two candidates: J T "Tom" Price
Tom Price (UK politician)
Joseph Thomas "Tom" Price was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician.He was born in Pendlebury, Lancashire, the son of William Price, a coalminer, and his wife Elizabeth...
, the forty-eight year old chief legal officer of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Consisting of over 405,000 members, USDAW is the UK's fourth largest and fastest growing trade union. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade...
for the Labour Party; and Frank J Land, a thirty-eight year old master baker from Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
for the Conservatives.
Tom Price belonged to the same trades union as Davies, and had strong connections with south Lancashire. Land was a member of the Bolton Chamber of Trade, and vice-chairman of Bolton Young Conservatives. On 14 June Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Conservative leader, issued a statement in support of Land and attacking the Labour government who he blamed for the fall in the value of the pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
. Price campaigned on the record of the Labour government, claiming it had done a great deal to improve the life of ordinary people. Land called for an end to nationalisation
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
of industries, claiming this led to higher prices. Both candidates supported a programme of building large numbers of council house
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
s.