Newport by-election, 1945
Encyclopedia
The Newport by-election, 1945 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 17 May 1945 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Newport
in Monmouthshire
. It was the last by-election of the 1935-1945 Parliament
.
The seat had become vacant on the death of the constituency's Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP), Sir Reginald Clarry
, on 17 January 1945, aged 62. He had held the seat since the 1922 general election
, with a two-year gap after his defeat at the 1929 general election
(he was re-elected at the 1931 election
).
, an Oxford
-educated barrister who had been heavily defeated at the Caerphilly by-election in 1939. In keeping with a war-time
electoral pact, the Labour
and Liberal
parties did not field candidates, and Bell's only opponent was Robert Edwards
, the Chairman of the Independent Labour Party
(ILP).
However, Bell's tenure as MP for Newport was brief. The date of the general election was announced on 23 May, and Parliament
was dissolved on 15 June. In the Labour Party's landslide victory at general election on 5 July 1945
, Bell was heavily defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Peter Freeman
.
He returned to the House of Commons
at the 1950 general election
as MP for South Buckinghamshire.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 17 May 1945 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 Newport
Newport (Monmouthshire) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a borough constituency in Monmouthshire from 1918 to 1983. 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....
in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
. It was the last by-election of the 1935-1945 Parliament
MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1935
This is a complete list of Members of Parliament elected to the 37th Parliament of the United Kingdom at the 1935 general election, held on 14 November 1935...
.
The seat had become vacant on the death of 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), Sir Reginald Clarry
Reginald Clarry
Sir Reginald George Clarry, , was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, representing the Newport constituency in Monmouthshire from 1922 to 1929 and from 1931 to 1945....
, on 17 January 1945, aged 62. He had held the seat since the 1922 general election
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...
, with a two-year gap after his defeat at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
(he was re-elected at the 1931 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...
).
Candidates
The Conservative Party selected as its candidate Ronald BellRonald Bell (UK politician)
Sir Ronald McMillan Bell, , QC , Knight Bachelor , was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom representing South Buckinghamshire from 1950 to 1974 and Beaconsfield from 1974 to 1982.-Family and education:The younger son of John Bell, Ronald was educated at Cardiff High...
, an Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
-educated barrister who had been heavily defeated at the Caerphilly by-election in 1939. In keeping with a war-time
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
electoral pact, 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...
and 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...
parties did not field candidates, and Bell's only opponent was Robert Edwards
Robert Edwards (politician)
Robert Edwards , usually known as Bob Edwards, was a British trade unionist and an Independent Labour Party and Labour Co-operative politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1955 to 1987....
, the Chairman of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
(ILP).
Results
On a considerably reduced turnout, Bell held the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of 2,702 votes; Edwards had won 45.5% of the votes, one of the ILP's best results for years.However, Bell's tenure as MP for Newport was brief. The date of the general election was announced on 23 May, and Parliament
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...
was dissolved on 15 June. In the Labour Party's landslide victory at general election on 5 July 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...
, Bell was heavily defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Peter Freeman
Peter Freeman (politician)
Peter Freeman was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.-Biography:He was elected as Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire at the 1929 general election, defeating the Conservative MP Walter D'Arcy Hall by only 187 votes...
.
He 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...
at the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
as MP for South Buckinghamshire.
Votes
See also
- Newport constituencyNewport (Monmouthshire) (UK Parliament constituency)Newport was a borough constituency in Monmouthshire from 1918 to 1983. 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....
- Newport by-election, 1922Newport by-election, 1922The Newport by-election, 1922 was by-election held in the parliamentary constituency of Newport on 18 October 1922. The by-election attracted especial attention, both at the time and since, as it was seen as a crucial electoral test of the viability of the Lloyd George Coalition Government,...
- Newport by-election, 1956Newport by-election, 1956The Newport by-election, 1956 was a parliamentary by-election held on 6 July 1956 for the British House of Commons constituency of Newport in Monmouthshire....
- NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...