1908 Manchester North West by-election

By-election in England April 2022 1908 Manchester North West by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Manchester North West (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s 1906 Manchester North West (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1910s Jan. 1910 24 April 1908 William Joynson-Hicks 65px Conservative Party (UK) 5,417 50.7% 6.9% Winston Churchill 65px Liberal Party (UK) 4,988 46.7% 9.5% Dan Irving 65px Social Democratic Federation 276 2.6% New 250px MP Winston Churchill Liberal Party (UK) William Joynson-Hicks Conservative Party (UK) The 1908 Manchester North West by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 24 April 1908 for the constituency of Manchester North West.Craig F.W.S. 1987 Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987 Chichester Parliamentary Research Services 102 The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. Vacancy Ministerial by-election Winston Churchill had been Liberal MP for the seat of Manchester North West since the 1906 general election when he gained it from the Conservatives. He was obliged to submit to re-election after his appointment as President of the Board of Trade, as the Ministers of the Crown Act required newly appointed Cabinet ministers to re-contest their seats.July 2024 Candidates The local Liberal Association re-selected 34-year-old Winston Churchill to defend his seat. His political career to date was Member of Parliament for Oldham from 1900–1906 (he was elected as a Conservative, but crossed the floor to join the Liberals in 1904), Liberal Member of Parliament for Manchester North West since 1906. When the Liberals came to power he was Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1905–1908, and newly appointed to the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade. The Conservatives retained 43-year-old William Joynson-Hicks as their candidate. This was his third election to parliament, having contested neighbouring Manchester North in 1900, losing by 26 votes. He was a London solicitor. Although there was no Labour Party candidate, the rival Social Democratic Federation parachuted in a 54-year-old Branch Secretary, Dan Irving to contest the seat. Burnley was one of the SDF's strongest branches due to the activities of their leader Henry Hyndman. In 1902, Irving had won election to Burnley Town Council. At the 1906 general election, Irving had contested Accrington finishing a poor third. Campaign Polling Day was fixed for the 24 April 1908. Manchester had been a key battleground at the 1906 general election. It was known to favour Free trade and oppose the protectionist policies of Joseph Chamberlain. Conservative defeats in Manchester in 1906 (including the outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, who had lost his seat at Manchester East at that election) were blamed on Tariff reform policies. Many Manchester Conservatives opposed Tariff reform, including Joynson-Hicks. His position helped to neutralise the issue in the by-election and promote local Conservative unity. However, Churchill still received endorsement from the Free Trade League. Suffragettes harassed Churchill, over his refusal to support legislation that would give women the vote.Paul Addison, Churchill on the Home Front 1900–1955 (second edition London 1993) p. 64 This opposition was led by the Women's Social and Political Union and suffragettes Constance Markievicz, Eva Gore-Booth, and Esther Roper.Marecco Anne The Rebel Countess 1967 Weidenfeld & Nicolson There was Jewish hostility to Joynson-Hicks over his support for the controversial Aliens Act 1905. A number of Roman Catholic priests urged their congregation to vote Conservative after Joynson-Hicks attacked Liberal education policy for undermining the autonomy of Roman Catholic Schools. Result thumb|120px|Joynson-Hicks 1908 Manchester North West by-electionBritish parliamentary election results 1885-1918 Conservative Party (UK) William Joynson-Hicks 5,417 50.7 +6.9 Liberal Party (UK) Winston Churchill 4,988 46.7 -9.5 Social Democratic Federation Dan Irving 276 2.6 New 429 4.0 N/A 10,681 89.7 +1.7 Conservative Party (UK) Liberal Party (UK) +8.2 The following day, the Daily Telegraph ran a front page headline reading "Winston Churchill is OUT! OUT! OUT!" The Lancashire and Cheshire Women's Suffrage Society, who had supported Churchill during the by-election, were angered by the actions of the WSPU, stating that they were "actively assisting to return men to the House of Commons who are the sworn enemies of the people." and saying that the WSPU members were "Tories of the most pronounced type".The Scottish Suffragettes and the Press by Sarah Pedersen Previous result Prior to Churchill winning the seat in the 1906 General election, Manchester North West had been Conservative since its creation in 1885.thumb|120px|Churchill General election January 1906British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 Liberal Party (UK) Winston Churchill 5,659 56.2 New Conservative Party (UK) William Joynson-Hicks 4,398 43.8 N/A 1,241 12.4 N/A 10,057 88.0 N/A Liberal Party (UK) Conservative Party (UK) N/A Aftermath Although Churchill lost his seat he was soon back, on 9 May 1908, after winning the 1908 Dundee by-election. Joynson-Hicks gained personal notoriety in the immediate aftermath of this election for an address to his Jewish hosts at a dinner given by the Maccabean Society, during which he said "he had beaten them all thoroughly and soundly and was no longer their servant."W. D. Rubinstein, "Recent Anglo-Jewish Historiography and the Myth of Jix's Anti-Semitism, Part Two" Australian Journal of Jewish Studies 7:2 (1993) pp. 24–45, p. 35 This act may have contributed to him losing his seat back to the Liberals at the next election. General election January 1910British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 Liberal Party (UK) George Kemp 5,930 53.5 +6.8 Conservative Party (UK) William Joynson-Hicks 5,147 46.5 -4.2 783 7.0 N/A 11,077 92.6 +2.9 Liberal Party (UK) Conservative Party (UK) +5.5 At the January 1910 general election, Irving stood for the SDF at Rochdale, coming third. Churchill (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Joynson-Hicks (Home Secretary) would later be senior Cabinet colleagues in Stanley Baldwin's Second Government (1924-29) after Churchill had rejoined the Conservative Party. References Manchester North West by-election Manchester North West by-election North West Category:Ministerial by-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom Category:1900s in Manchester Manchester North West by-election Manc