1921 Dover by-election

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1921 Dover by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1918 12 January 1921 1922  
  Thomas Polson.jpg Baron Astor of Hever.jpg
Candidate Polson Astor
Party Independent Unionist
Popular vote13,94710,817
Percentage56.3%43.7%

MP before election

Ponsonby
Unionist

Subsequent MP

Astor
Unionist

The 1921 Dover by-election was held on 12 January 1921. The by-election was held due to the succession to the peerage of the incumbent Coalition Unionist MP, Vere Ponsonby as Ninth Earl of Bessborough. It was won by the Independent candidate Thomas Andrew Polson. [1]

Polson's election was supported by Horatio Bottomley, but although claimed by Bottonmley as a member of the right-wing Independent Parliamentary Group, he joined the Anti-Waste League shortly after his election. Polson stood again at the general election in November 1922, but was defeated by the Unionist candidate John Jacob Astor, whom he had defeated at the by-election in 1921. [2]

Result

Dover by-election, 1921
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Thomas Andrew Polson 13,947 56.3 New
C Unionist John Jacob Astor 10,81743.7−25.0
Majority3,13012.6N/A
Turnout 24,76471.0+24.5
Independent gain from Unionist Swing
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

References

  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
  2. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 384. ISBN   0-900178-06-X.