Ilford by-election, 1928

Ilford in Essex, showing boundaries used 1918-45

The Ilford by-election, 1928 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Ilford, London on 23 February 1928.

Vacancy

The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Unionist MP, Sir Fredric Wise at the age of 57 on 27 January 1928 following a sudden heart attack. He had been MP here since winning the Ilford by-election, 1920.

Election History

The constituency was created for the 1918 General Election and had been won by Unionists at every election. The Unionists did not come close to losing the seat as the progressive vote had remained evenly split between Liberal and Labour. The result at the last General Election was

1924 General Election: Ilford

Electorate 52,243[1]

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Fredric Wise 22,825 58.4
Labour Daniel Chater 8,460 21.7
Liberal John William Morris 7,780 19.9
Majority 14,365 36.7
Turnout 74.8
Unionist hold Swing

Candidates

Arthur Comyns Carr

Campaign

Polling Day was set for 23 February 1928, just 27 days after the death of the former Member of Parliament, allowing for a short campaign. This would have assisted the Labour candidate de Gruchy, as unlike the other two candidates who had only just been selected, he had been in place for 12 months.

On 7 February, the King's Speech was read out in parliament, which provided a focus for the issues of the campaign. All three party leaders, Baldwin, James Ramsay Macdonald and David Lloyd George sent public letters of support to their own candidates. On 15 February, the former Prime Minister and Liberal Leader H. H. Asquith died.

Result

The Unionists held the seat, but there was a massive 13.6% swing to the Liberals. The Labour vote share remained the same but the party fell to third place.

Ilford by-election, 1928

Electorate [9]

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Collingwood George Clements Hamilton 18,269 44.8 -13.6
Liberal Arthur Strettell Comyns Carr 13,621 33.4 +13.5
Labour C R de Gruchy 8,922 21.9 +0.2
Majority 4,648 11.4 -25.3
Turnout 67.5
Unionist hold Swing -13.6

Aftermath

Hamilton held the seat, defeating Comyns Carr again at the following General Election. The Liberal further reduced the Unionist majority by half;

1929 General Election: Ilford

Electorate 78,330[10]

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Collingwood George Clements Hamilton 24,414 42.4 -2.4
Liberal Arthur Strettell Comyns Carr 21,267 36.9 +3.8
Labour C R de Gruchy 11,952 20.7 -1.2
Majority 3,147 5.5 -5.9
Turnout 73.6 +6.1
Unionist hold Swing

References

  1. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  2. whoswho
  3. whoswho
  4. The Times, 10.12.18
  5. The Times, 8.11.22
  6. The Times, 22.11.23
  7. The Times 30.10.24
  8. Trial By Ballot by Ivor RM Davies
  9. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  10. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949

See also