1923 Whitechapel and St George's by-election

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1923 Whitechapel and St George's
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1922 8 February 1923 1923  
  Harry Gosling crop.jpg S. M. Holden.png
Candidate Gosling Kiley Holden
Party Labour Liberal Prohibition
Popular vote8,3986,198130
Percentage57.042.10.9

WhitechapelStGeorges1918.png

MP before election

Mathew
Labour

Subsequent MP

Gosling
Labour

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.

Contents

Vacancy

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.

Election 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;

1922 general election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Charles James Mathew 6,267 40.2
Liberal James Kiley 5,83937.4
Conservative A. Instone3,50222.4
Majority4282.8
Turnout 24,33364.1
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +4.3

Candidates

Campaign

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

Result

The Labour Party held the seat.

Harry Gosling 1918 Harry Gosling.jpg
Harry Gosling
Whitechapel and St George's by-election, 1923 [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harry Gosling 8,398 57.0 +16.8
Liberal James Kiley 6,19842.1+4.7
National Prohibition Party S. M. Holden 1300.9New
Majority2,20014.9+12.1
Turnout 24,33360.5-3.6
Labour hold Swing +6.1

Aftermath

Gosling and Kiley went head-to-head again at the General election later in the year with the same outcome;

1923 general election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harry Gosling 7,812 54.0 -3.0
Liberal James Kiley 6,65646.0+3.9
Majority1,1568.0-6.9
Turnout 24,80058.3-2.2
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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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  2. "Obituary: Mr. Harry Gosling, M.P. From Waterman To Labour Minister". The Times . 25 October 1930. p. 17.
  3. Hesilridge, Arthur G. M. (1922). Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1922. London: Dean & Son.
  4. Aberdeen Journal, 16 Jan 1923
  5. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918
  6. Western Morning News, 23 Jan 1923

See also