1919 Leyton West by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 June 2025 1919 Leyton West by-election United Kingdom by-election Popular Leyton West#Elections in the 1910s 1918 1919 03 01 yes (Polling)1919 03 14 yes (Declaration) Leyton West#Elections in the 1920s 1922 32,567 42.5% Liberal Party (UK) Alfred Newbould Liberal Party (UK) 7,934 57.3% 24.7% File:James Francis Mason (cropped).jpg James Mason Unionist Party (UK) Coalition 5,915 42.7% 24.7% LeytonWest.png 250px MP Harry Wrightson Unionist Party (UK) Subsequent MP Alfred Newbould Liberal Party (UK) The 1919 Leyton West by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 1 March 1919 for the British House of Commons constituency of Leyton West, in the Urban District of Leyton, Essex. The constituency formed part of the Greater London conurbation. Background The seat had become vacant on the death of the constituency's Unionist Member of Parliament (MP), Harry Wrightson on 11 February 1919. Wrightson had first been elected at the 1918 general election. Within days of the declaration of poll however, Wrightson contracted influenza, which deteriorated to pneumonia, and he died early in 1919, aged 44, six days before the new Parliament met and so was never able to take his seat. Electoral history 1918 general election: Leyton West Unionist Party (UK) Harry Wrightson 10,956 67.4 Liberal Party (UK) Alfred Newbould 5,288 32.6 5,668 34.8 16,244 49.9 32,567 Unionist Party (UK) Candidates Unionist James Mason, director of the Great Western Railway and former member for Windsor (1906–1918). Liberal Alfred Newbould, cinematographer and candidate for this seat in 1918 Campaign Mason's campaign sought to repeat the theme of the previous General Election, where Unionists had run solely on the glory of having won the war.Trial By Ballot by Ivor R. M. Davies (1950). Newbould's main campaign points were the abolition of conscription and a crackdown on profiteering The Times, 17 February 1919 the first policy was said to appeal to men and the second to women.The Times, 1 March 1919 Unfortunately for part of the contest he was confined to bed with a bad cold and his wife was engaged as principal canvasser on his behalf.The Times, 26 February 1919 Result On a turnout of 42.5%, (down from the general election turnout of 49.9%) Newbould won what was seen as an important victory for the Asquithian Liberals improving his share of the vote from 32.6% at the general election to 57.3% in the by-election. Leyton West by-election, 1919 Liberal Party (UK) Alfred Newbould 7,934 57.3 +24.7 Unionist Party (UK) James Mason 5,915 42.7 –24.7 2,019 14.6 N/A 13,849 42.5 –7.4 32,567 ±0 Liberal Party (UK) Unionist Party (UK) +24.7 According to psephologist John Ramsden, this amounted to a swing of 24.8% and was statistically one of the worst by-election reverses of the 1918–1922 government.Chris Cook and John Ramsden, By-elections in British Politics; UCL Press 1997, p16 Aftermath At the 1922 general election, Newbould lost the seat back to the Unionists, and never got back into the House. See also List of United Kingdom by-elections Leyton West constituency References Craig F. W. S. F. W. S. Craig British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 1969 3rd 1983 Parliamentary Research Services Chichester 0-900178-06-X February 2012 The Times, 15 March 1919 Leyton West by-election Leyton West by-election Leyton West by-election Leyton West,1919 Leyton West,1919 Category:Leyton