Liverpool Scotland by-election, 1929
Encyclopedia
The Liverpool Scotland by-election, 1929 was a parliamentary by-election
held in England
on 14 December 1929 to elect a new Member of Parliament
(MP) for the House of Commons constituency
of the Scotland division of Liverpool
.
It was caused by the death of the constituency's sitting MP T.P. O'Connor, the then Father of the House
and an Irish Nationalist
MP, on 18 November 1929. O'Connor had held the seat since its creation at the 1885 general election
, and had been re-elected unopposed from 1918
onwards, most recently in May 1929
.
The by-election was extremely unusual in that it was uncontested and still changed hands.
Ireland
had achieved quasi-independence in 1922 as the Irish Free State
, the Irish Nationalist Party was effectively defunct in Ireland, yet O'Connor continued to be elected unopposed under this label in Liverpool. O'Connor's voting record in the Commons most closely followed that of the Labour Party
. At the by-election, Labour was the only party to nominate a candidate, standing David Logan
. As a result he won the seat unopposed, though in practice this did not make much difference to the voting balance in the House of Commons where the Second Labour Government was in a minority.
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 14 December 1929 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
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 the Scotland division of Liverpool
Liverpool Scotland (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Scotland was a constituency represented 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....
.
It was caused by the death of the constituency's sitting MP T.P. O'Connor, the then Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
and an Irish Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...
MP, on 18 November 1929. O'Connor had held the seat since its creation at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, and had been re-elected unopposed from 1918
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...
onwards, most recently in May 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
The by-election was extremely unusual in that it was uncontested and still changed hands.
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
had achieved quasi-independence in 1922 as the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, the Irish Nationalist Party was effectively defunct in Ireland, yet O'Connor continued to be elected unopposed under this label in Liverpool. O'Connor's voting record in the Commons most closely followed that of 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...
. At the by-election, Labour was the only party to nominate a candidate, standing David Logan
David Logan (Politician)
David Gilbert Logan , known as Davie Logan, was a British Labour Party politician of Scots-Irish descent. He succeeded T.P...
. As a result he won the seat unopposed, though in practice this did not make much difference to the voting balance in the House of Commons where the Second Labour Government was in a minority.