Bromley by-election, 1930
Encyclopedia
The Bromley by-election, 1930 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 2 September 1930 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Bromley
in north-west Kent
.
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP), the Honourable Cuthbert James
, died on 21 July 1930, aged 58. He had held the seat since winning a by-election in December 1919.
, a 51-year-old former diplomat. Campbell had been Member of Parliament
for Camberwell North West
from 1924
until his defeat in 1929.
The Liberal
candidate was W.G. Fordham, who had contested the constituency at the 1929 election
, finishing second. The Labour
candidate was A.E. Ashworth, who had also stood in 1929 and had come last of three.
The fourth candidate, V.C. Redwood, stood for the United Empire Party, which sought to make the British Empire
a free trade
bloc. This party was the creature of Lord Beaverbrook
and Lord Rothermere, respectively proprietors of the Daily Express
and Daily Mail
.
The Empire Crusade and their newspapers had been pressing the leader of the Conservative Party, Stanley Baldwin
, to adopt a more protectionist position. Their newspapers and platform were much more popular with the middle-class
, commuter town
s, in the Home Counties
and London suburbs
than elsewhere, and in safe Conservative seats; Bromley
fitted these criteria perfectly.
the following March.
Ironically for a campaign that sought to turn the Conservative Party to the right, the split vote almost allowed a Liberal victory. Fordham came second with 11,176 votes. Parallels can be seen between this by-election and the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, 2006
, which was almost won by the Liberal Democrats after the intervention of another right-wing Conservative pressure group, the UK Independence Party.
At the 1931 general election
, Campbell would hold the seat with a majority over Labour of over 37,000 (67%). As part of the pact agreed by the parties in the National Government, he was not opposed by a Liberal candidate; the United Empire Party by this time had become defunct. Campbell would serve until his death in office in 1945.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 2 September 1930 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Bromley
Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bromley is a former borough constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. Its best-known MP was Harold Macmillan ....
in north-west Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), the Honourable Cuthbert James
Cuthbert James
Cuthbert James , was a British Conservative politician.James was the second son of Walter James, 2nd Baron Northbourne, and his wife Edith Emeline Mary . He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army and also represented Bromley in the House of Commons from 1919 to 1930. James married Florence Marion,...
, died on 21 July 1930, aged 58. He had held the seat since winning a by-election in December 1919.
Candidates
The Conservative candidate was Edward Taswell CampbellSir Edward Campbell, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Taswell Campbell, 1st Baronet, of Airds, JP, MP was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.-Ancestry:...
, a 51-year-old former diplomat. Campbell had been Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Camberwell North West
Camberwell North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Camberwell North West was a borough constituency located in the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell, in South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created...
from 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
until his defeat in 1929.
The Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate was W.G. Fordham, who had contested the constituency at the 1929 election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, finishing second. The Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate was A.E. Ashworth, who had also stood in 1929 and had come last of three.
The fourth candidate, V.C. Redwood, stood for the United Empire Party, which sought to make the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
a free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
bloc. This party was the creature of Lord Beaverbrook
Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Bt, PC, was a Canadian-British business tycoon, politician, and writer.-Early career in Canada:...
and Lord Rothermere, respectively proprietors of the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.
The Empire Crusade and their newspapers had been pressing the leader of the Conservative Party, Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
, to adopt a more protectionist position. Their newspapers and platform were much more popular with the middle-class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
, commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
s, in the Home Counties
Home Counties
The home counties is a term which refers to the counties of South East England and the East of England which border London, but do not include the capital city itself...
and London suburbs
Outer London
Outer London is the name for the group of London Boroughs that form a ring around Inner London.These were areas that were not part of the County of London and became formally part of Greater London in 1965...
than elsewhere, and in safe Conservative seats; Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
fitted these criteria perfectly.
Results
On a much-reduced turnout, Campbell held the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of 1,606 votes. Redwood came third with 27.2% of the votes, a setback for the Empire Crusade which also failed to win the Westminster St George's by-electionWestminster St George's by-election, 1931
The Westminster St. George's by-election, 1931 was a parliamentary by-election held on 19 March 1931 for the British House of Commons constituency of Westminster St. George's.- Previous MP :...
the following March.
Ironically for a campaign that sought to turn the Conservative Party to the right, the split vote almost allowed a Liberal victory. Fordham came second with 11,176 votes. Parallels can be seen between this by-election and the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, 2006
Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, 2006
A by-election was held in the UK parliament constituency of Bromley and Chislehurst in London, following the death of Conservative Member of Parliament Eric Forth on 17 May 2006. The writ for the electing of a new member was issued on 6 June for a polling day of 29 June 2006, the same day as the...
, which was almost won by the Liberal Democrats after the intervention of another right-wing Conservative pressure group, the UK Independence Party.
At the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, Campbell would hold the seat with a majority over Labour of over 37,000 (67%). As part of the pact agreed by the parties in the National Government, he was not opposed by a Liberal candidate; the United Empire Party by this time had become defunct. Campbell would serve until his death in office in 1945.
Votes
See also
- Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)Bromley is a former borough constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. Its best-known MP was Harold Macmillan ....
- BromleyBromleyBromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections