1927 Southend by-election

1927 UK parliamentary by-election November 2019 June 2025 right|thumb|300px|Southend in Essex, showing boundaries used from 1918 to 1950. The 1927 Southend by-election was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Southend, Essex, on 19 November 1927. Previous MP The Conservative MP, Rupert Guinness, Viscount Elveden succeeded his father as Earl of Iveagh and took a seat in the House of Lords, vacating his seat in the House of Commons. He had represented the seat and its predecessor since 1912 and the area had not returned any other party since the Liberals won in 1906. Previous result General election, 29 October 1924 Electorate: 47,259 Conservative Party (UK) Rupert Guinness 23,417 62.5 +12.3 Liberal Party (UK) John Douglas Young 10,924 29.1 -20.7 Labour Party (UK) Sydney Alexander Moseley 3,144 8.4 New 12,493 33.4 +30.0 37,485 79.3 +10.0 Conservative Party (UK) Candidates The Conservatives chose the former MP's wife, 46-year-old Gwendolen Guinness, now titled the Countess of Iveagh to defend the seat. The Liberal candidate was 33-year-old Hon. Dougall Meston. He was a former soldier who had become a Barrister in 1924. He was the heir to Baron Meston. This was his first election as a candidate. Labour selected a new candidate in James Erskine Harper. A fourth candidate entered the contest in the figure of a 52-year-old Manchester baker, E.A. Hailwood. He put himself forward as a candidate protesting against Baldwin's lack of leadership as Prime Minister. Result Southend by-election, 1927 Unionist Party (UK) Gwendolen Guinness 21,221 54.6 -7.9 Liberal Party (UK) Dougall Meston 11,912 30.7 +1.6 Labour Party (UK) James Erskine Harper 4,777 12.3 +3.9 Independent Unionist E. A. Hailwood 917 2.4 +2.4 9,309 23.9 -9.5 38,827 73.2 -6.1 Unionist Party (UK) Harper (Labour) and Hailwood (Ind. Unionist) lost their deposits. Aftermath Hailwood went on to contest a further two by-elections as an Independent Conservative. Labour chose not to contest the seat at the following General Election. General election, 30 May 1929 Electorate: 73,815 Conservative Party (UK) Gwendolen Guinness 27,605 55.8 +1.2 Liberal Party (UK) Dougall Meston 21,884 44.2 +13.5 5,721 11.6 -12.3 49,489 67.0 -6.2 Conservative Party (UK) References British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1979) Category:1927 in England Category:1927 elections in the United Kingdom Category:Politics of Southend-on-Sea Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Essex constituencies Category:1920s in Essex Category:November 1927 in the United Kingdom