1918 Keighley by-election

UK parliamentary by-election 1918 Keighley by-election parliamentary United Kingdom Constituency of Keighley no 1913 Keighley by-election 1913A by-election in this constituency was called for in 1915, with Liberal candidate Swire Smith being elected unopposed. 26 April 1918 William Somervell x160px Liberal Party (UK) 4,873 67.5% William Bland x160px Independent Labour Party 2,349 32.5% MP Subsequent MP Swire Smith Liberal Party (UK) William Somervell Liberal Party (UK) 50.2% ( 36.3%) 1918 United Kingdom general election Dec. 1918 28.8%Compared to the results of the contested 1913 by-election grey NewJune 2020 The 1918 Keighley by-election was a parliamentary by-election held for the UK House of Commons constituency of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire on 26 April 1918. Vacancy The by-election was caused by the death on 16 March 1918 of the sitting Liberal MP, Sir Swire Smith.Asa Briggs, Sir Swire Smith in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, OUP 2004-09 Electoral history The most recent contest in the constituency had seen a three-way battle; 1913 Keighley by-election Electorate 14,142 Liberal Party (UK) Stanley Buckmaster 4,730 38.7 N/A Unionist Party (UK) Henry Lascelles 3,852 31.5 N/A Labour Party (UK) William Bland 3,646 29.8 N/A 878 7.2 N/A 12,228 86.5 N/A Liberal Party (UK) N/A Candidates Keighley Liberals chose as their candidate William Somervell, a director of his family business, Somervell Bros. of Kendal, leather merchants and boot manufacturers, later known as K Shoes. Somervell had twice previously contested the South or Kendal Division of Westmorland for the Liberals.The Times House of Commons, 1911; Politico’s Publishing, 2004 p91The Times, 18 March 1913 p8 As the by-election was taking place during wartime and Somervell was standing as the candidate of the Coalition government he did not face Conservative or Labour Party opponents. There was however an Independent Labour Party candidate, William Bland, who ran on a "Peace by Negotiation" platform. He had been the official Labour candidate at the previous contested by-election in the constituency, in 1913.F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918; Macmillan Press, 1974 p438 At one point it looked as if there would be a woman candidate in the field. Nina Boyle, a journalist and well-known campaigner for women's suffrage and women's rights made known her intention to put up at the by-election as a candidate of the Women's Freedom League. Although women over thirty gained the vote in 1918, there was some doubt as to whether women were eligible to stand as parliamentary candidates. Boyle announced that she would test the law and if her nomination was refused would take the matter to the courts to obtain a definitive ruling.The Times, 4 April 1918 p. 3 After some legal consideration, the returning officer stated that he was prepared to accept her nomination, thus establishing an important precedent for women candidates. However he ruled her nomination papers invalid on other grounds: one of the signatories to her nomination was not on the electoral roll and another lived outside the constituency. While Boyle did not therefore appear on the ballot paper, she claimed a moral victory for women's suffrage.The Times, 10 April 1918 p. 3 The Law Lords were asked to consider the matter and concluded that the Great Reform Act 1832 had specifically banned women from standing as parliamentary candidates. The Representation of the People Act passed earlier in the year, did not change that. Parliament hurriedly passed the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 in time to enable women to stand in the 1918 general election. The act ran to only 27 operative words: "A woman shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage for being elected to or sitting or voting as a Member of the Commons House of Parliament."Hallam, David J.A., Taking on the Men: the first women parliamentary candidates 1918, Studley, 2018, pp. 11–12 Result thumb|120px|Somervell Somervell was returned easily with a majority of 2,524 votes and well over 50% of the poll.The Times, 29 April 1918 p5 Keighley by-election, 1918 Liberal Party (UK) William Somervell 4,873 67.5 +28.8 Independent Labour Party William Bland 2,349 32.5 +2.7 2,524 35.0 +27.8 7.222 50.2 -36.3 Liberal Party (UK) +13.0 Historians have argued that this was an indication of a growing and substantial body of public opinion favouring a negotiated peace settlement with Germany following the publication of the Lansdowne letter and an increasing sign of war-weariness.Roy Douglas, Background the 'Coupon' election arrangements; English Historical Review, Vol 86, No 339, April 1971 pp. 318–336 Aftermath Somervell and Bland faced each other again at the General Election 8 months later. However, this time a Unionist also stood and received official endorsement of the Coalition Government, helping him secure victory; General election 1918 Electorate 34,934 Unionist Party (UK) Robert Clough 8,820 38.6 N/A Liberal Party (UK) William Somervell 7,709 33.7 N/A Labour Party (UK) William Bland 6,324 27.7 N/A 1,111 4.9 N/A 22,853 65.4 N/A Unionist Party (UK) Liberal Party (UK) N/A See also List of United Kingdom by-elections United Kingdom by-election records 1913 Keighley by-election 1915 Keighley by-election Notes References Category:1918 elections in the United Kingdom Category:1918 in England Category:Keighley Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Bradford constituencies Category:1910s in Yorkshire Category:April 1918 in the United Kingdom