1918 Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 The 1918 Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 13 May 1918 for the House of Commons constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the historic county of Northumberland. Vacancy The by-election was caused by the appointment of the sitting Liberal MP Edward Shortt, as Chief Secretary for Ireland. He succeeded Henry Duke who resigned the post in response to the announcement by Prime Minister David Lloyd George on 9 April of Irish conscription.John Sankey (revised by HC G Matthew), Henry Edward Duke, first Baron Merrivale in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online, OUP 2004-10 Shortt had come to Lloyd George's attention when he made a success of chairing a select committee set up to review the difficult subject of the general administration of the Military Service Acts.E I Carlyle (revised by Marc Brodie), Edward Shortt in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online, OUP 2004-10 Under the Parliamentary rules of the day applicable to the appointment of ministers, Shortt had to resign and fight a by-election. Candidates As the sitting member, Shortt was selected to fight the by-election for the Liberals. As participants in the wartime coalition the Conservatives agreed not to contest the by-election, although they did so deploring the fact that Shortt had recently voted not to apply the Military Service Acts to Ireland.The Times, 11 May 1918 p3 The result No other candidate came forward to contest the election and Shortt was returned unopposed.The Times, 14 May 1918 p3 The votes Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election, 1918 Liberal Party (UK) Edward Shortt Unopposed N/A N/A Liberal Party (UK) References See also List of United Kingdom by-elections (1900–1918) Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Northumberland constituencies Category:Elections in Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election Category:Unopposed ministerial by-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in English constituencies Category:20th century in Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election