Greenock by-election, 1941
Encyclopedia
The Greenock by-election, 1941 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 10 July 1941 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Greenock
in Renfrewshire
.
The seat become vacant when the Labour
Member of Parliament
(MP) Robert Gibson resigned
, to take up the post of Chairman of the Scottish Land Court
. Gibson had held the seat since a by-election in 1936
.
selected as its candidate Hector McNeil
, a journalist
and trade union
ist and former councillor from Glasgow who had contested four previous parliamentary
elections.
The parties in the war-time Coalition Government
had agreed not to contest vacancies in seats held by other coalition parties, but other by-elections were contested by independent candidates or those from minor parties.
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 10 July 1941 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 Greenock
Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)
Greenock was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1974, when it was abolished and its area was merged into the new Greenock and Port Glasgow constituency.- Members of Parliament :...
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
.
The seat become vacant when 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...
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) Robert Gibson resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
, to take up the post of Chairman of the Scottish Land Court
Scottish Land Court
The Scottish Land Court is a Scottish court of law based in Edinburgh with subject-matter jurisdiction for disputes between landlords and tenants relating to agricultural tenancies and matters related to crofts and crofters. The Chairman of the Scottish Land Court is ranked as a Senator of the...
. Gibson had held the seat since a by-election in 1936
Greenock by-election, 1936
The Greenock by-election, 1936 was a by-election held on 26 November 1936 for the House of Commons constituency of Greenock in Renfrewshire, Scotland.- Vacancy :...
.
Candidates
The Labour PartyLabour 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...
selected as its candidate Hector McNeil
Hector McNeil
Hector McNeil PC was a Scottish Labour politician.McNeil was educated at Woodside School and the University of Glasgow, trained as an engineer and worked as a journalist on a Scottish national newspaper. He was a member of Glasgow Town Council 1932-8...
, a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and former councillor from Glasgow who had contested four previous parliamentary
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
elections.
The parties in the war-time Coalition Government
Coalition Government 1940-1945
Members of the War Cabinet are in bold face.-Source:* D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000....
had agreed not to contest vacancies in seats held by other coalition parties, but other by-elections were contested by independent candidates or those from minor parties.
Results
No other candidates were nominated in Greenock, so McNeil was returned unopposed. He held the seat through four general elections, until his death shortly after the 1955 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
.
See also
- Greenock constituencyGreenock (UK Parliament constituency)Greenock was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1974, when it was abolished and its area was merged into the new Greenock and Port Glasgow constituency.- Members of Parliament :...
- Greenock by-election, 1936Greenock by-election, 1936The Greenock by-election, 1936 was a by-election held on 26 November 1936 for the House of Commons constituency of Greenock in Renfrewshire, Scotland.- Vacancy :...
- Greenock by-election, 1955
- GreenockGreenockGreenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)