1920 South Norfolk by-election
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The 1920 South Norfolk by-election was a
Vacancy
The by-election was triggered by the succession to the peerage of the serving Coalition Liberal Member of Parliament (MP), William Cozens-Hardy.
Electoral history
South Norfolk had been a safe
Candidates
The Liberal vote was now divided. The
They were opposed by a strong
Campaign
Batty recommending those of his supporters who could not bring themselves to vote for the Coalition to support Edwards instead.[1] A local landowner and Norfolk county councillor, the Earl of Kimberley, endorsed Edwards.
Result
The result was a clear win for Edwards, who picked up around 2,000 votes on a very similar turnout to the general election, and exploited the split in the Liberal vote.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Edwards
|
8,594 | 45.7 | +10.0 | |
National Liberal
|
James Henley Batty | 6,476 | 34.5 | −29.8 | |
Liberal | Charles Henry Roberts
|
3,718 | 19.8 | -44.5 | |
Majority | 2,118 | 11.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 18,788 | 58.5 | +2.7 | ||
National Liberal
|
Swing |
Aftermath
Edwards was defeated in the next election, but won the seat again between 1923 and 1924.
References
- ^ The Times, 26 July 1920
- The Times, 10 August 1920