1931 Rutherglen by-election

The Rutherglen by-election of 1931 was held on 21 May 1931. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Labour MP, William Wright. It was won by the Labour candidate David Hardie[1]

Wright had held the seat since 1922 when he had gained it for Labour from the Unionist Party. His majority over the Unionists at the 1929 election had been over 5,000 votes, an increase from 1,089 votes in 1924.[2] In addition to Labour and the Unionists, both the Liberal Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain had contested the seat in 1929, polling less than 4,000 votes between them.[2]

Labour's candidate David Hardie, was the brother of Labour's founder Keir Hardie, and George Hardie, who was then serving as MP for Glasgow Springburn.[3] His sole opponent was the Unionist Party's Captain H. J. Moss who campaigned on the central issue of "the prosperity policy of safeguarding British industries".[3]

Rutherglen by-election, 1931[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Hardie 16,736 51.4 −0.8
Unionist Herbert Moss 15,853 48.6 +12.1
Majority 883 2.8 −12.9
Turnout 32,589 69.6 −6.1
Registered electors 46,804
Labour hold Swing −5.7

While Hardie held the seat for Labour, the Party's majority was significantly reduced. The general election a few months later saw a rematch between the two candidates, with Moss emerging victorious with a majority of over 5,000.[3]

References
  1. http://www.leighrayment.com/commons.htm
  2. The Times House of Commons 1929. London: The Times Office. 1929. pp. 132–133.
  3. The Times House of Commons 1931. London: The Times Office. 1931. p. 121.
  4. The Times, 23 May 1931


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