Kilmarnock by-election, 1929
Encyclopedia
The Kilmarnock by-election, 1929 was a by-election
held on 27 November 1929 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Kilmarnock
in Ayrshire
.
The first Scottish by-election since the general election in May 1929
, it was won by the Labour Party
candidate Craigie Mason Aitchison.
Member of Parliament
(MP), Robert Climie
had died at the age of 61 on 3 October 1929. He had held the seat since the general election in May 1929
, having previously been Kilmarnock's MP from 1923
until his defeat in the 1924 general election
.
candidate was 47-year-old Craigie Mason Aitchison KC, who had been the Lord Advocate of Scotland
since June 1929. He had stood as a Liberal Party
candidate in Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
at the 1922
and 1923 general elections
. He had contested the 1924 general election
a Labour candidate in Hartlepool
, and in May 1929 came within a small margin of winning the Unionist-held Glasgow Central
seat.
The Unionist candidate was 41-year-old Charles Glen MacAndrew
, who had won the seat from Climie in 1924, but lost it again in May 1929.
The third candidate was Mrs I. Brown, of the Communist Party of Great Britain
. The Liberals, who had finished third at the general election, did not field a candidate.
Aitchison was re-elected at the 1931 general election
as a National Labour candidate, having sided with Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald
when the Labour Party split and MacDonald formed a National Government with the Conservative Party
. He resigned his seat
in 1933, when he was appointed Lord Justice Clerk
.
MacAndrew returned to the House of Commons
in 1931
as MP for Glasgow Partick
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 27 November 1929 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 Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)
Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
.
The first Scottish by-election since the general election in May 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, it was won by the Labour Party
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 Craigie Mason Aitchison.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the sitting LabourLabour 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 Climie
Robert Climie
Robert Climie was a Scottish trade unionist and Labour Party politician.Robert was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland on January 4, 1868. He was the son of bonnet weaver Mary McGarvie and underground colliery fireman, Robert Climie...
had died at the age of 61 on 3 October 1929. He had held the seat since the general election in May 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, having previously been Kilmarnock's MP from 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
until his defeat in the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
.
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...
candidate was 47-year-old Craigie Mason Aitchison KC, who had been the Lord Advocate of Scotland
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
since June 1929. He had stood as a Liberal Party
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 in Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire was a parliamentary constituency in the Clackmannan area of Central Scotland. 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 system.The constituency was created for the...
at the 1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
and 1923 general elections
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. He had contested the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
a Labour candidate in Hartlepool
Hartlepool (UK Parliament constituency)
Hartlepool is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, and in May 1929 came within a small margin of winning the Unionist-held Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act...
seat.
The Unionist candidate was 41-year-old Charles Glen MacAndrew
Charles Glen MacAndrew, 1st Baron MacAndrew
Charles Glen MacAndrew, 1st Baron MacAndrew, PC, TD was a Scottish Unionist politician.Born in Ayrshire, he was educated at Uppingham School and at Trinity College, Cambridge....
, who had won the seat from Climie in 1924, but lost it again in May 1929.
The third candidate was Mrs I. Brown, of the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. The Liberals, who had finished third at the general election, did not field a candidate.
Result
The result was a victory for the Labour candidate, Craigie Aitchison, who held the seat with an increased share of the vote. However, his majority was lower than Climie's, the Unionists having benefitted from the absence of a Liberal candidate.Aitchison was re-elected 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...
as a National Labour candidate, having sided with Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
when the Labour Party split and MacDonald formed a National Government with the Conservative Party
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...
. He resigned his seat
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...
in 1933, when he was appointed Lord Justice Clerk
Lord Justice Clerk
The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
.
MacAndrew returned to the 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...
in 1931
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...
as MP for Glasgow Partick
Glasgow Partick (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Partick was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1950.- Boundaries :...
.
Votes
See also
- Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
- KilmarnockKilmarnockKilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
- Kilmarnock by-election, 1933Kilmarnock by-election, 1933The Kilmarnock by-election, 1933 was a by-election held on 2 November 1933 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.- Vacancy :...
- Kilmarnock by-election, 1946Kilmarnock by-election, 1946The Kilmarnock by-election, 1946 was a by-election held on 5 December 1946 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.- Vacancy :...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
- Elections in ScotlandElections in ScotlandScotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, the European Parliament, local councils and community councils.-Scottish Parliament:...