Smethwick by-election, 1945
Encyclopedia
The Smethwick by-election, 1945 was a by-election
held on 1 October 1945 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Smethwick
in Staffordshire
(now in the West Midlands county
).
The by-election was caused by the death of the town's newly-elected Labour Party
Member of Parliament
(MP), 63-year-old Alfred Dobbs
, who was killed in a car accident on 27 July 1945, only one day after his election at the 1945 general election
. Apart from some MPs who were elected posthumously, Dobbs remains the United Kingdom
's shortest-serving MP.
There were only two candidates in the by-election, Labour and Conservative
; the Liberal Party
had not fielded a candidate in Smethwick since the 1929 general election
.
The result was a victory for the Labour candidate Patrick Gordon Walker
, who held the seat comfortably with a slightly increased majority on a slightly reduced turnout. Gordon Walker was an MP for nearly 30 years, serving twice as a Cabinet minister
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 1 October 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 Smethwick
Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)
Smethwick was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Smethwick in Staffordshire. 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 voting system....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
(now in the West Midlands county
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
).
The by-election was caused by the death of the town's newly-elected 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...
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), 63-year-old Alfred Dobbs
Alfred Dobbs
Alfred James Dobbs was a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist. He is most notable for being the Member of Parliament who served the shortest term, since the Second World War — just one day....
, who was killed in a car accident on 27 July 1945, only one day after his election at the 1945 general election
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...
. Apart from some MPs who were elected posthumously, Dobbs remains the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's shortest-serving MP.
There were only two candidates in the by-election, Labour and 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...
; the 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...
had not fielded a candidate in Smethwick since the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
The result was a victory for the Labour candidate Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker CH, PC was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet minister...
, who held the seat comfortably with a slightly increased majority on a slightly reduced turnout. Gordon Walker was an MP for nearly 30 years, serving twice as a Cabinet minister
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
.
Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- Smethwick constituencySmethwick (UK Parliament constituency)Smethwick was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Smethwick in Staffordshire. 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 voting system....
- Smethwick by-election, 1926Smethwick by-election, 1926The Smethwick by-election, 1926 was a by-election held on 21 December 1926 for the British House of Commons constituency of Smethwick in Staffordshire ....