On Wednesday 29 October 1924, the 1924 United Kingdom general election was held in England, to elect all 615 members of the House of Commons, with 492 constituencies being in England. 485 seats represented territorial constituencies contested under the first past the post electoral system, and seven additional seats represented the university constituencies. Three university constituencies returned two members through the single transferable vote electoral system and one returned one member by the first past the post system.

It was the third general election to be held in less than two years. Parliament was dissolved on 9 October. Following the decision to withdraw the prosecution of Communist John Ross Campbell under the Incitement to Mutiny Act 1797 by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald on 13 August 1924, a motion was passed against the government on 8 October 1924. Despite not being framed as such, this was regarded by the Government as a loss of a motion of no confidence and caused the dissolution of Parliament on 9 October 1924 with new elections being called.

It was the first in which party leaders would give political broadcasts over radio during an general election campaign.

Although the election saw an increase of support for Labour by vote share in England, Labour's election loss across the United Kingdom to the Conservative Party, along with a collapse in Liberal support in England and Scotland, brought an end to the first Labour Government.

Candidates

Below is a table summarising the candidates of the 1924 general election in England, excluding those in the university constituencies.

Affiliation CandidatesConservative Party 440Labour Party 406Liberal Party 280Constitutionalist 12Co-operative Party 8Communist Party of Great Britain 6Independent 5Nationalist Party 1Democratic labour 1Total 1,159

Analysis

Major Parties

The Conservative Party won the greatest number of seats at the election, having won an overall of 352 with an increase of 125 seat from the previous election, and taking much of its vote share against the collapse in Liberal Party support. The party did suffer some losses, including losing two seats to the Constitutionalist candidates and one seat to an independent in London University seat. It also lost Barrow and Furness, Liverpool West Toxteth, Lincoln, Peckham, Bilston and Birmingham King's Norton in England. The Conservative Party itself only suffered three other losses across the United Kingdom. These were the associated Unionist Party losing Motherwell in Scotland, and the associated Ulster Unionist Party losing both seat in Fermanagh and Tyrone. The Conservatives as a whole were returned to a majority Government at this election, having lose the previous election.

The Labour Party, although had also increased its vote share at this election at the expense of the Liberal Party, lost seats. Labour lost a total of 29 seats in England (the majority of its total 40 losses across the United Kingdom) down to 109 seats total in England. The Co-operative Party, which was under the Labour Party Whip retained three of its four existing seats, however once again lost Kettering. The Co-operative Party did gain Bradford South, reaming at four seats.

Labour did however, along with its minor seat gains from the Conservative Party, gain seats from the Liberal Party. It gained from the Liberal Party Gateshead, Rochdale, Bermondsey West, Southwark Central, Newcastle upon Tyne East, Newcastle upon Tyne West, Burslem, Middlesbrough East, Elland, Keighley, Penistone, Bradford South and Dewsbury. Additionally, former Leader of the Labour Party Arthur Henderson returned to Parliament after having lost two separate seats in 1922 and 1923 United Kingdom general election. Henderson had won Burnley in the 1924 Burnley by-election following the death of the Labour incumbent, and represented no change in seats for the previous election. He would take on the ministerial role of Home Secretary under MacDonald's Government, and later return as Leader of the Labour Party until 1931. He would also hold the seat until 1931.

The Liberal Party lost of 109 seats in England at this election, with is vote share dropping by just over 12 per cent. It did gain seats from the Labour Party. These were Walthamstow West, Bristol North, Hackney South, Bradford East and Batley and Morley. It also took one of the two seats in Norwich, having won and held the other from the previous election. However, the party overall nationally along with its losses in Scotland and Wales was reduced to 40 seats.

Constitutionalists

12 candidates stood under the label of 'Constitutionalist' at this election. This was a label primarily given to former members and supportes of David Lloyd George's Coalition Liberal Party and National Liberal Party, who wished to reconcile the closer working ties between the Conservative Party and the Liberals.

Among the successful candidates under this label was Winston Churchill, who won the seat of Epping unopposed by the Conservative Party. Churchill, who was a member and former Deputy Leader for the National Liberals had previously lost Dundee in Scotland in 1922, and unsuccessfully ran in Leicester West in England in the previous election. Hamar Greenwood also won Walthamstow East, and was also not opposed by the Conservative in the seat. Algernon Moreing in Camborne won his seat in the same manner. Both seat gains by Churchill, Greenwood and Moreing were, however, gains from the Conservative Party when compared to the previous election. Other of such Constitutionalist candidates that took seats at the election include J. Hugh Edwards in Accrington, Abraham England in Heywood and Radcliffe, Thomas Robinson in Stretford and John Ward in Stoke-on-Trent. These candidates were opposed by neither the Conservatives or Liberals, but won seats from the Liberal Party in their incumbency due to switching from the Liberal Party. Accordingly, seven of the 12 Constitutionalists that ran won seats at this election.

Minor parties and independents

Among the independents, the prior independent-held seat of Harrow was won by Conservative candidate Isidore Salmon from Oswald Mosley. Mosley had joined the Labour Party since the last election, having won the seat in the last election after having left the Conservative Party. Mosley unsuccessfully attempted to run in Birmingham Ladywood against future Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, though came within 100 votes of Chamberlain. Austin Hopkinson retained his seat once again in Mossley, increasing his majority due to a split between the Labour and Liberal vote in his seat. Ernest Graham-Little won the seat at the London University, and would hold the seat until its abolition in 1950.

Shapurji Saklatvala won Battersea North. Although once the official candidate in the seat for the Labour Party in 1922 and 1923, Saklatvala stood as a solely Communist candidate in the seat in this election. After having won his seat in 1922, and losing it in 1923, he regained it at this election. This represented seat a loss against the incumbent Liberal Henry Hogbin in the seat, although Hogbin ran as under the Constitutionalist candidate label at this election. Notably, Communist candidate Robert Dunstan stood in Birmingham West against Conservative Member of Parliament and half-brother to Neville Chamberlain, Austen Chamberlain, however Chamberlain retained the seat with a substantially increased majority. Irish Nationalist T. P. O'Connor once again won Liverpool Scotland unopposed.

Seat summary

Below is a table summarising the total number of seats, gains and losses for each party in both the territorial county and borough constituencies and the English university constituencies.

+PartySeats Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%)   Conservative 352 134 9 125 71.5   Labour (Total) 109 19 48 29 22.2 105 18 47 29 21.3 4 1 1 0.8   Liberal 20 6 110 104 4.1   Constitutionalist 7 7 0 7 1.4   Independent 2 1 1 0.4   Communist 1 colspan="2' 1 0.2   Irish Nationalist 1 0 0 0.2 Total 492

County and borough constituency results

Below is a table summarising the constituency results of the 1924 general election in England, excluding the result in the university constituencies.

+PartySeatsAggregate votes Total Gains Losses Net Of all (%) Total Of all (%) Difference   Conservative 347 134 8 126 71.5 6,640,266 47.7 7.9   Labour (Total) 109 19 48 29 22.5 4,467,236 32.8 3.1 105 18 47 29 21.6 4,362,078 32.0 3.0 4 1 1 0.8 105,158 0.8 0.1   Liberal 19 6 110 104 3.9 2,388,429 17.6 12.3   Constitutionalist 7 7 0 7 1.4 185,075 1.4 1.3   Communist 1 colspan="2" 1 0.2 39,416 0.3   Independent 1 0 1 1 0.2 19,361 0.1 0.2   Democratic Labour 0 colspan="3" — 1,775 0.0   Irish Nationalist 1 0 0 0.2 0 0.0 0.1 Total 485 0 100.0 13,561,558 100.0 0.0 Registered voters, and turnout 17,471,109 77.4 6.3

University constituency results

University results summary

Below is a table summarising the seats and vote share of the English university constituencies in the 1924 general election.

+PartySeatsFirst preference votes Total Gains Losses Net Total Of all (%) 5 0 1 1 19,697 58.6 1 colspan="2" 1 5,845 17.4 0 0 0 3,241 9.6 1 0 0 2,872 8.5 0 0 0 1,948 5.8 Total 7 33,603

Cambridge University

The constituency for Cambridge University returned two Members of Parliament using the single transferable vote electoral system. The electorate consisted of graduates of the university.

Combined English Universities

The Combined English Universities constituency, which represented effectively all red brick universities and Durham University, returned two Members of Parliament using the single transferable vote electoral system. The electorate consisted of graduates of the university.

London University

The constituency for London University returned one Member of Parliament using the First-past-the-post electoral system. The electorate consisted of graduates of the university.

Oxford University

The constituency for Oxford University returned two Members of Parliament using the single transferable vote electoral system. The electorate consisted of graduates of the university. Gilbert Murray, who usually stood as a Liberal candidate in this election, instead stood as an independent in 1924.

See also 1924 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1924 United Kingdom general election in Wales 1924 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

Notes

References