Spen Valley by-election, 1919

The Spen Valley by-election of 1919 was held on 20 December 1919. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Coalition Liberal MP, Thomas Palmer Whittaker. It was won by the Labour candidate Tom Myers,^[1] who had contested the constituency at the 1918 general election

The poll came at the same time as a serious split in the Liberal Party over continuing support for the coalition government: Colonel B C Fairfax was nominated as the Coalition Liberal candidate while Sir John Simon stood as an Independent Liberal.^[2] The poll was held on 20 December 1919, although the votes were not counted until 3 January of the following year.^[2] The result was seen as sensational, with The Times describing it as a "political event of great significance" with voters deserting the government candidate in "a humiliation which cannot be explained away".^[3]

In the view of Maurice Cowling, Simon's defeat by Labour marked the point at which Labour began to be seen as a serious threat by the older parties.

Sir John Simon

Spen Valley by-election, 1919 ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Thomas Myers	11,962	39.4	–5.0
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Sir John Allsebrook Simon	10,244	33.8	21.8
	Coalition Liberal	Bryan Charles Fairfax	8,134	26.8	n/a
Majority			1,718	5.6	26.8
Turnout				76.5	+27.1
	Labour gain from Liberal		Swing	+13.4

References

1. http://www.leighrayment.com/commons.htm
2. "Spen Valley's Verdict. A Blow To The Coalition, Labour Member Returned, Sir J. Simon's Big Poll.". The Times. 5 January 1920. p. 13.
3. "The Parting of the Ways. Mr Lloyd-George's Two Courses.". The Times. 5 January 1920. p. 13.
4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig