Preston by-election, 1929
Encyclopedia
The Preston by-election, 1929 was a parliamentary by-election
held in England for the House of Commons constituency
of Preston
on 31 July 1929. The seat had become vacant when the Liberal
Member of Parliament William Jowitt
had resigned
his seat after changing his party allegiance.
Standing as a Liberal
, Jowitt had won one of Preston's two seats at the general election in May 1929
, having previously been Liberal MP for The Hartlepools
from 1922 to 1924. After his return to the Commons in 1929, he was offered the post of Attorney General for England and Wales
in the new Labour Government. He accepted the post, but resigned from parliament and stood for re-election to allow voters to decide whether to accept his change of party.
Jowitt held the seat with an increased majority.
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 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 Preston
Preston (UK Parliament constituency)
Preston 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:...
on 31 July 1929. The seat had become vacant when the 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...
Member of Parliament William Jowitt
William Jowitt, 1st Earl Jowitt
William Allen Jowitt, 1st Earl Jowitt PC, KC , was a British Labour politician and lawyer, who served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain under Clement Attlee from 1945 to 1951.-Background and education:...
had 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...
his seat after changing his party allegiance.
Standing as a 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...
, Jowitt had won one of Preston's two seats at 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 Liberal MP for The Hartlepools
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 :...
from 1922 to 1924. After his return to the Commons in 1929, he was offered the post of Attorney General for England and Wales
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
in the new Labour Government. He accepted the post, but resigned from parliament and stood for re-election to allow voters to decide whether to accept his change of party.
Jowitt held the seat with an increased majority.
See also
- Preston (UK Parliament constituency)Preston (UK Parliament constituency)Preston 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:...
- Preston
- Preston by-election, 1903
- Preston by-election, 1915
- Preston by-election, 1936Preston by-election, 1936The Preston by-election, 1936 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Preston on 25 November 1936...
- Preston by-election, 1940Preston by-election, 1940The Preston by-election, 1940 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Preston in Lancashire on 29 September 1940...
- Preston by-election, 1946Preston by-election, 1946The Preston by-election, 1946 was a parliamentary by-election held on 31 January 1946 for the British House of Commons constituency of Preston in Lancashire. The seat had become vacant when the Labour Member of Parliament John Sunderland had died on 24 November 1945...
- Preston by-election, 2000Preston by-election, 2000The Member of Parliament for Preston, Audrey Wise, died on 2 September 2000.A by-election to fill the seat was held on 23 November.The Labour vote share declined, but with the main beneficiaries being fringe parties they held the seat comfortably....
- List of United Kingdom by-elections