Spen Valley by-election, 1940
Encyclopedia
The Spen Valley by-election, 1940 was a by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Spen Valley
on 1 June 1940. The seat had become vacant when the National Liberal
Member of Parliament Sir John Simon
, had been elevated to the peerage as Viscount Simon
. Simon had held the seat since the 1922 general election
.
During World War II
, the political parties in the Coalition Government
had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in any of the seats held by the other coalition parties. As a result the only candidate was William Woolley
of the National Liberal Party, who was returned unopposed. He represented the constituency until his defeat at the 1945 general election
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Spen Valley
Spen Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
on 1 June 1940. The seat had become vacant when the National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
Member of Parliament Sir John Simon
John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon
John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon GCSI GCVO OBE PC was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second. He is one of only three people to have served as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer,...
, had been elevated to the peerage as Viscount Simon
Viscount Simon
Viscount Simon, of Stackpole Elidor in the County of Pembroke, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1940 for the Liberal politician Sir John Simon. He was Home Secretary from 1915 to 1916 and 1935 to 1937, Foreign Secretary from 1931 to 1935, Chancellor of the...
. Simon had held the seat since the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the political parties in the Coalition Government
Coalition Government 1940-1945
Members of the War Cabinet are in bold face.-Source:* D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000....
had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in any of the seats held by the other coalition parties. As a result the only candidate was William Woolley
William Woolley
William Edward Woolley was a National Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected in 1940 as Member of Parliament for the Spen Valley constituency in West Yorkshire, at an unopposed by-election on 1 June. At the 1945 general election, he lost the seat to the Labour Party...
of the National Liberal Party, who was returned unopposed. He represented the constituency until his defeat at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
.
See also
- Spen Valley (UK Parliament constituency)Spen Valley (UK Parliament constituency)Spen Valley was a parliamentary constituency in the valley of the River Spen in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections