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The 1923 Whitechapel and St Georges by-election was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Whitechapel and St Georges on 8 February 1923.
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The 1923 Whitechapel and St Georges by-election was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Whitechapel and St Georges on 8 February 1923.
The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Labour MP, Charles James Mathew on 8 January 1923. Mathew died, aged 50, after an operation, seven weeks after his election, becoming one of the shortest-serving MPs in history.
The constituency was created for the 1918 general election. The area had been a Liberal stronghold and despite the Conservative candidate being endorsed by the Coalition government, the Liberals won a four-cornered contest. At the following general election, Labour narrowly gained the seat. The result was;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Charles James Mathew | 6,267 | 40.2 | ||
| Liberal | James Kiley | 5,839 | 37.4 | ||
| Conservative | A. Instone | 3,502 | 22.4 | ||
| Majority | 428 | 2.8 | |||
| Turnout | 24,333 | 64.1 | |||
| Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +4.3 | |||
Polling day was set for 8 February 1923, exactly one month after the death of Mathew. Nominations closed on 31 January 1923; it transpired that there would be a three-cornered contest between Labour's Gosling, the Liberal Kiley and the Prohibitionist Holden.
Leading Liberal Sir John Simon, who had gained a seat from Labour at the 1922 general election, came to speak in support of Kiley.
Holden's campaign received the active support of Edwin Scrymgeour, who had been elected to parliament for Dundee at the 1922 general election on behalf of the Scottish Prohibition Party.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/englands-first-prohibitionist-m-p/query/CAMPAIGNING+BY
The Labour Party held the seat.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Harry Gosling | 8,398 | 57.0 | +16.8 | |
| Liberal | James Kiley | 6,198 | 42.1 | +4.7 | |
| National Prohibition Party | S. M. Holden | 130 | 0.9 | New | |
| Majority | 2,200 | 14.9 | +12.1 | ||
| Turnout | 24,333 | 60.5 | −3.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +6.1 | |||
Gosling and Kiley went head-to-head again at the General election later in the year with the same outcome;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Harry Gosling | 7,812 | 54.0 | −3.0 | |
| Liberal | James Kiley | 6,656 | 46.0 | +3.9 | |
| Majority | 1,156 | 8.0 | −6.9 | ||
| Turnout | 24,800 | 58.3 | −2.2 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -3.5 | |||
The National Prohibition Party did not contest another parliamentary seat. Holden did not stand for parliament again until 1929 when he contested Preston as an Independent candidate.
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