Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940

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The Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1940 was held for the Middleton and Prestwich constituency on 22 May 1940.

The by-election was held during World War II, and the five largest political parties - Conservative, Labour, Liberal, National Labour and National Liberal - were all members of the Coalition Government. As such, they maintained an electoral pact and agreed not to contest any by-elections in seats held by any other party in the Government.

The British Union of Fascists had contested several recent by-elections, receiving very small votes. During the mid-1930s, the group had been able to organise sizeable demonstrations, but anti-fascist activity and the banning of political uniforms by the Public Order Act 1936 had hit the group hard. The BUF's main message was to call for immediate peace and a pact with the Axis powers; during the 'phoney war' period this message had been received calmly. However, by the time that the Middleton and Prestwich campaign started, the British Army was fighting the Germans in Norway; on 9 May, the Germans invaded France through the low countries. The sudden escalation in the war made the BU seem like 'fifth columnists', and the seizure of power in Norway by Vidkun Quisling was a matter of extreme concern because Quisling's career was superficially reminiscent of Oswald Mosley. When Mosley spoke in Middleton and Prestwich, he was subjected to missile throwing and attempts to hit him. The British government was also preparing to make the British Union of Fascists illegal under wartime powers, and arrested several Fascist activists in the run-up to the election.

Nairne Stewart Sandeman had held the seat for the Conservative Party since the 1923 general election, and had won more than 60% of the vote in the 1935 general election against a Labour Party challenge. The party chose Ernest Everard Gates to contest the by-election. With only Fascist opposition, the election was expected to be an easy win for Gates.

The result gave Gates a resounding victory, with 98.7% of the votes cast and a 97.4% majority; an all-time record for any Parliamentary by-election in the United Kingdom, and the largest majority in any Parliamentary election since East Kerry in the 1885 general election.

The British Union of Fascists was finally banned the day after the election, and its remaining leaders interned.

[edit] Election result

[edit] References

• F. W. S. Craig, Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections, 1833-1987
• Z. Yaakov Wise, Fascism in Manchester (Centre for Jewish Studies)