February 1920 The Wrekin by-election

1920 The Wrekin by-election was held on 7 February 1920. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Coalition Liberal MP, Sir Charles Henry Bt. It was won by the Independent Conservative candidate Charles Palmer,[1] who was backed by Horatio Bottomley's Independent Parliamentary Group.

February 1920 The Wrekin by-election
7 February 1920
Constituency of The Wrekin
Turnout71.0%
 
IC
Lib
Candidate Charles Palmer Charles Duncan John Bayley
Party Ind. Conservative Labour Liberal
Alliance IPG Coalition
Popular vote 9,267 8,729 4,750
Percentage 40.7% 38.4% 20.9%
MP before election

Charles Henry
Liberal

 Subsequent MP

Charles Palmer
Ind. Conservative

Although forced out of Parliament through bankruptcy in 1912, Bottomley had come back as an Independent in his old seat of Hackney South in 1918. He formed the Independent Parliamentary Group and sensed the growing unpopularity of the Coalition and the reluctance of many working men and women to give wholehearted support to a Labour Party still feared as introducing the novelty of socialism to British politics. Bottomley knew from his own brand of populist, jingoistic, politics that, as Palmer put it, "there is an immense body of sound opinion in the working classes which ranges itself on the side of King and Constitution."[2] In this climate, Bottomley understood that here was an opportunity to try add create a new third force in Parliament, anticipating the upsurge of opinion which was to produce good results for Anti-Waste candidates in the coming months. He persuaded Palmer to stand for election in The Wrekin and in a three-cornered contest against a Coalition Liberal and a Labour candidate, Palmer – without the advantages of local organisation or local connections and strongly supported by Bottomley himself – won a stunning and unexpected victory. The Coalition candidate, John Bayley, who had been closely associated with the previous MP and was well known locally as principal of Wellington College could only come in a poor third place.

The Wrekin by-election, 1920 (February)[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Conservative Charles Palmer 9,267 40.7 New
Labour Charles Duncan 8,729 38.4 New
C Liberal John Bayley 4,750 20.9 N/A
Majority 538 2.3 N/A
Turnout 22,746 71.0 N/A
Ind. Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Palmer died on 25 October 1920 from double pneumonia and pleurisy after catching a chill during a visit to the Wrekin.[4] Another by-election was held in November, also won by a Conservative opposed to the coalition, Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend.

References
  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
  2. The Times, 21 February 1920 p14
  3. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949 p453
  4. The Times, 26 October 1920 p7


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