1919 Leyton West by-election
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The 1919 Leyton West by-election was a
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant on the death of the constituency's
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coalition Unionist
|
Harry Wrightson | 10,956 | 67.4 | N/A | |
Liberal | Alfred Newbould | 5,288 | 32.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,668 | 34.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 16,244 | 49.9 | N/A | ||
Unionist hold
|
Swing | N/A |
Candidates
The Unionist Party selected as its candidate
Campaign
Mason's campaign sought to repeat the theme of the previous General Election, where Unionists had run solely on the glory of having won the war.[1] Newbould's main campaign points were the abolition of conscription and a crackdown on profiteering [2] the first policy was said to appeal to men and the second to women.[3] Unfortunately for part of the contest he was confined to bed with a bad cold and his wife was engaged as principal canvasser on his behalf.[4]
Result
On a turnout of 42.5%, (down from the general election turnout of 49.9%) Newbould won what was seen as an important victory for the Asquithian Liberals improving his share of the vote from 32.6% at the general election to 57.3% in the by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Alfred Newbould | 7,934 | 57.3 | +24.7 | |
C | Unionist
|
James Francis Mason
|
5,915 | 42.7 | -24.7 |
Majority | 2,019 | 14.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 13,849 | 42.5 | -7.4 | ||
Unionist
|
Swing | +24.8 | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
According to psephologist John Ramsden, this amounted to a swing of 24.8% and was statistically one of the worst by-election reverses of the 1918–1922 government.[5]
Aftermath
At the 1922 general election, Newbould lost the seat back to the Unionists, and never got back into the House.
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- Leyton West constituency
References
- ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [better source needed]
- The Times, 15 March 1919