Leeds North East by-election, 1940
Encyclopedia
The Leeds North East by-election, 1940 was a parliamentary by-election
held in England
on 13 March 1940 to elect a new Member of Parliament
(MP) for the House of Commons constituency of Leeds North East
.
The vacancy was caused by the resignation on 8 February 1940 of the sitting Member, Sir John Dearman Birchall
, through the procedural device of appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. He had held the seat since the 1918 general election
.
The by-election was held during World War II, and the five largest political parties – Conservative, Labour, Liberal, National Labour and National Liberal – were all members of the Coalition Government. As such, they maintained an electoral pact and agreed not to contest any by-elections in seats held by any other party in the Government.
The Conservative candidate, John Craik-Henderson
, was opposed only by Sydney Allen of the British Union of Fascists. Henderson won with 97.1% of the vote, but gained only 37.5% in 1945
, one of the largest drops in share ever.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 13 March 1940 to elect a new 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) for the House of Commons constituency of Leeds North East
Leeds North East (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds North East 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 :...
.
The vacancy was caused by the resignation on 8 February 1940 of the sitting Member, Sir John Dearman Birchall
John Dearman Birchall
Major Sir John Dearman Birchall TD was a British soldier and Conservative Party politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Leeds North East at the 1918 general election, and held his seat in the House of Commons for 22 years until he resigned on 8 February 1940 through appointment as...
, through the procedural device of appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. He had held the seat since the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
.
The by-election was held during World War II, and the five largest political parties – Conservative, Labour, Liberal, National Labour and National Liberal – were all members of the Coalition Government. As such, they maintained an electoral pact and agreed not to contest any by-elections in seats held by any other party in the Government.
The Conservative candidate, John Craik-Henderson
John Craik-Henderson
Professor John James Craik-Henderson was a British Conservative Party politician.Henderson was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election in March 1940, as Member of Parliament for Leeds North East...
, was opposed only by Sydney Allen of the British Union of Fascists. Henderson won with 97.1% of the vote, but gained only 37.5% in 1945
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, one of the largest drops in share ever.
Results
See also
- Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940The Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940 was held for the Middleton and Prestwich constituency on 22 May 1940.The by-election was held during World War II, and the five largest political parties – Conservative, Labour, Liberal, National Labour and National Liberal – were all members of the...