Westminster St George's by-election, 1931
Encyclopedia
The Westminster St. George's by-election, 1931 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 19 March 1931 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Westminster St. George's.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, died on 14 February, aged 62. He been MP for the constituency since the 1929 general election
, having previously sat for Colchester
since 1910 and had served in the cabinets
of David Lloyd George
and Stanley Baldwin
during the 1920s.
and Lord Rothermere to remove Stanley Baldwin, then Leader of the Opposition. The United Empire Party and the Empire Free Trade Crusade
.
The campaign had had some success. The Conservative Central Office had withdrawn support for its own candidate at the Twickenham by-election, 1929
, who supported the Empire Free Trade policy. The U.E.P. had won the Paddington South by-election, 1930 from the Conservatives, and their splitting the right-wing vote at the Islington East by-election
in February had allowed Labour
to hold a seat they had been expected to lose.
opposed to Baldwin's leadership of the Conservative Party on 28 February. Though he claimed to be free of party and running at the request of the electors, he was eagerly backed by the Beaverbrook and Rothermere papers, the Daily Express
and Daily Mail
.
The Conservative Party
originally selected John Moore-Brabazon
. He withdrew on 28 February, saying he could not defend Baldwin. Baldwin, under pressure to resign as Leader of the Conservative Party, toyed with the idea of resigning his safe Worcestershire
seat of Bewdley
and contesting the by-election himself.
The eventual Conservative candidate was Alfred Duff Cooper, who had been MP for Oldham
from 1924
until his defeat in 1929
. He had been Financial Secretary to the War Office
from 1928 to 1929.
In 1929, there had been a Labour
candidate for the constituency, but Labour did not contest the by-election.
on 17 March, he accused the press proprietors as aiming at "power without responsibility - the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages".
later that year. He remained MP for the constituency until 1945.
The result of the by-election was an important factor in Stanley Baldwin's retention of the leadership of the Conservative Party. Following the collapse of the Labour Government, the Conservatives would unite with the Prime Minister
Ramsay MacDonald
to form the National Government, which enjoyed a sweeping landslide victory
later in the year.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 19 March 1931 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 Westminster St. George's.
Previous MP
The seat had become vacant on when the constituency's ConservativeConservative 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...
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), Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, died on 14 February, aged 62. He been MP for the constituency since the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, having previously sat for Colchester
Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)
Colchester is a parliamentary 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.-History:...
since 1910 and had served in the cabinets
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
of 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 Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
during the 1920s.
Background
The by-election took place against the background of a campaign led by the press magnates, Lord BeaverbrookMax Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Bt, PC, was a Canadian-British business tycoon, politician, and writer.-Early career in Canada:...
and Lord Rothermere to remove Stanley Baldwin, then Leader of the Opposition. The United Empire Party and the Empire Free Trade Crusade
Empire Free Trade Crusade
The Empire Free Trade Crusade was a political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Lord Beaverbrook in July 1929 to press for the British Empire to become a free trade bloc....
.
The campaign had had some success. The Conservative Central Office had withdrawn support for its own candidate at the Twickenham by-election, 1929
Twickenham by-election, 1929
The Twickenham by-election, 1929 was a parliamentary by-election held on 8th August 1929 for the British House of Commons constituency of Twickenham in Middlesex....
, who supported the Empire Free Trade policy. The U.E.P. had won the Paddington South by-election, 1930 from the Conservatives, and their splitting the right-wing vote at the Islington East by-election
Islington East by-election, 1931
The Islington East by-election, 1931 was a parliamentary by-election held on 19th February 1931 for the British House of Commons constituency of Islington East in Islington, North London....
in February had allowed 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...
to hold a seat they had been expected to lose.
Candidates
The industrialist Sir Ernest Petter announced his candidacy as an Independent ConservativeIndependent Conservative
Independent Conservative is a description allowed in British politics to denote party affiliation. It is used to designate a politician is conservative, yet independent of any political party, particularly of the Conservative Party....
opposed to Baldwin's leadership of the Conservative Party on 28 February. Though he claimed to be free of party and running at the request of the electors, he was eagerly backed by the Beaverbrook and Rothermere papers, the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.
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...
originally selected John Moore-Brabazon
John Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara
John Theodore Cuthbert Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara, GBE, MC, PC was an English aviation pioneer and Conservative politician...
. He withdrew on 28 February, saying he could not defend Baldwin. Baldwin, under pressure to resign as Leader of the Conservative Party, toyed with the idea of resigning his safe Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
seat of Bewdley
Bewdley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bewdley was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1605 until 1950. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough in Worcestershire, represented by one Member of Parliament; the name was then transferred to a county constituency from 1885 until...
and contesting the by-election himself.
The eventual Conservative candidate was Alfred Duff Cooper, who had been MP for Oldham
Oldham (UK Parliament constituency)
Oldham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham, England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
until his defeat in 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. He had been Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....
from 1928 to 1929.
In 1929, there had been a 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...
candidate for the constituency, but Labour did not contest the by-election.
Campaign
One notable speech of the campaign was by Stanley Baldwin. At the Queen's HallQueen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect T.E. Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert...
on 17 March, he accused the press proprietors as aiming at "power without responsibility - the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages".
Results
The result was a victory for Duff Cooper. He won 59.9% of the votes. He was unopposed at the ensuing general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
later that year. He remained MP for the constituency until 1945.
The result of the by-election was an important factor in Stanley Baldwin's retention of the leadership of the Conservative Party. Following the collapse of the Labour Government, the Conservatives would unite with the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
to form the National Government, which enjoyed a sweeping landslide victory
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
later in the year.
Votes
See also
- Westminster St. George's constituency
- 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...