1929 North Lanarkshire by-election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1929 North Lanarkshire by-election

← 1924 21 March 1929 1929 →

Candidate Lee Scone Mitchell Party Labour Unionist Party Liberal Popular vote 15,711 9,133 2,488 Percentage 57.5 33.4 9.1

MP before election Sir Alexander Sprot Unionist Party Subsequent MP Jennie Lee Labour

A by-election is a special election held to fill a vacant seat in a country's parliament. The 1929 North Lanarkshire by-election took place in Scotland, in an area called North Lanarkshire, on March 21, 1929. This election was to choose a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the UK Parliament.

Why a New Election Was Needed

This special election happened because the area's Member of Parliament (MP), Sir Alexander Sprot, passed away on February 8, 1929. He was a member of the Unionist Party. Sir Alexander had won the seat from the Labour Party in the general election of 1924.

Who Ran in the Election

Three main political parties put forward candidates for this by-election.

Unionist Party Candidate

The Unionist Party chose 29-year-old Mungo Murray to try and keep the seat for their party. He was the son of Lord Mansfield. Mungo Murray had studied at the University of Oxford and had served in the military with the Black Watch. This was his first time running for parliament.

Labour Party Candidate

The Labour Party needed a new candidate because their previous MP, Joseph Sullivan, had been elected in a different by-election in 1926. The local Labour Party wanted to choose another representative from the miners' community, as Joseph Sullivan had been a leader in the Lanarkshire Miners Association. However, they decided on Miss Jennie Lee. She was a teacher from Fife and had graduated from Edinburgh University. This was also her first time running for parliament.

Liberal Party Candidate

The local Liberal Association selected 49-year-old Miss Elizabeth Mitchell as their candidate. She had previously run for parliament in the Lanark area in 1924. Elizabeth Mitchell's father, Andrew Mitchell, was a former sheriff of Lanarkshire. She was well-educated, attending St. George's School for Girls, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University, and Oxford University. She also taught at the Royal Holloway College, University of London. She was involved in several important groups, including being the Hon. Secretary for Women in Agriculture in Scotland and Vice-President of the Scottish Liberal Federation.

Elizabeth Mitchell, a Liberal Party candidate

The Election Campaign

Just before the by-election, on March 1, 1929, the national leader of the Liberal Party, David Lloyd George, announced a new plan for the upcoming general election. This plan was called We Can Conquer Unemployment. This national announcement was part of the wider political discussions happening during the by-election campaign.

Election Results

The results of the 1929 North Lanarkshire by-election showed a clear winner.

Jennie Lee of the Labour Party won the election with 15,711 votes, which was 57.5% of all votes. This meant she became the new Member of Parliament for North Lanarkshire. Lord Scone, the Unionist candidate, received 9,133 votes (33.4%). Elizabeth Mitchell, the Liberal candidate, got 2,488 votes (9.1%). The Labour Party gained the seat from the Unionist Party.

What Happened Next

After the by-election, a general election was held on May 30, 1929. Jennie Lee ran again for the Labour Party in North Lanarkshire. Mungo Murray also ran again for the Unionist Party.

Jennie Lee won again in the general election, keeping her seat for the Labour Party. She received even more votes this time, with 19,884 votes (55.9%). Mungo Murray received 15,680 votes (44.1%). This showed that Jennie Lee had strong support in North Lanarkshire.