1919 Liverpool West Derby by-election

The Liverpool West Derby by-election, 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held on 26 February 1919 for the British House of Commons constituency of Liverpool West Derby, in the County Palatine of Lancashire.

1919 Liverpool West Derby
26 February 1919
 
Candidate Hall Nelson
Party Unionist Labour
Popular vote 6,062 4,670
Percentage 56.5 43.5
MP before election

Smith
Unionist

 Subsequent MP

Hall
Unionist

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant on the elevation to the peerage of the constituency's Unionist Member of Parliament (MP), F. E. Smith, as Baron Birkenhead. He had been raised to the peerage to take up the post of Lord Chancellor, an action described by the left wing Morning Post as "carrying a joke too far".

Electoral history

Smith had held the seat since the 1918 general election, when he was endorsed by the Coalition Government. Before that he held its predecessor seat, Liverpool Walton since the 1906 general election.

Sir F.E. Smith, newly created Lord Birkenhead
1918 general election: Liverpool West Derby
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist F. E. Smith 11,622 67.4 N/A
Labour George Nelson 5,618 32.6 N/A
Majority 6,004 34.8 N/A
Turnout 17,240 55.1 N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A

Candidates

Results

Turnout was unsurprisingly low so soon after a General Election. Hall won the seat by a much reduced margin.

Sir Reginald Hall
Liverpool West Derby by-election, 1919
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist William Reginald Hall 6,062 56.5 -10.9
Labour George Nelson 4,670 43.5 +10.9
Majority 1,392 13.0 -21.8
Turnout 10,732 34.3 -20.8
Unionist hold Swing -10.9
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

See also

References
    • Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
    • Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
    • The Times, 12 March 1919
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