1926 Darlington by-election

The 1926 Darlington by-election was a by-election held on 17 February 1926 for the British House of Commons constituency of Darlington in County Durham.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant when the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), William Pease had died on 23 January 1926, aged 60. He had held the seat since a by-election in 1923.

Candidates

The Liberal Party candidate was 51-year-old John Dickie, who had been the MP for Gateshead from 1923 until his defeat at the 1924 general election.

The Labour Party candidate was 42-year-old Arthur Shepherd, and E. H. Pease stood for the Conservatives. Pease had not previously contested a parliamentary election, but Shepherd had contested Darlington in 1924, losing by over 2000 votes to William Pease.

Result

On a slightly increased turnout, the result was a narrow victory for Shepherd. His share of the vote was lower than in 1924, when there had been no Liberal candidate, but the presence of a Liberal in the by-election impacted more heavily on the Conservatives than on Labour.

Aftermath

Shepherd held the seat at the 1929 general election, but was defeated in 1931.

Pease did not stand for Parliament again, but Dickie was elected in 1931 as National Liberal MP for Consett.

Votes
Darlington by-election, 17 February 1926
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Shepherd 12,965 44.5 −1.7
Conservative E. H. Pease 12,636 43.3 −10.5
Liberal John Dickie 3,573 12.2 New
Majority 329 1.2 N/A
Turnout 29,174 87.6 +1.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +4.4
General election, October 1924: Darlington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pease 15,174 53.8 +11.6
Labour Arthur Shepherd 13,008 46.2 +12.6
Majority 2,166 7.6 −1.0
Turnout 28,182 86.1 −0.7
Conservative hold Swing −0.5

See also

Sources
  • Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
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