This is a list of parliamentary by-elections in the United Kingdom held between 1918 and 1931, with the names of the incumbent and the victor and of their respective parties. Where a seat was held by a different political party after the election, the result is highlighted: red for a Labour gain, blue for a Conservative gain, orange for a Liberal gain, and grey for any other gain. A total of 233 by-elections were held during this period.
Resignations See Resignation from the British House of Commons for more details.
Where the cause of by-election is given as "resignation" or "sought re-election", this indicates that the incumbent was appointed on his or her own request to an "office of profit under the Crown", either the Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Steward of the Manor of Northstead. These appointments are made as a constitutional device for leaving the House of Commons, whose Members are not permitted to resign.
Ministerial by-elections
The Succession to the Crown Act 1707 required ministers to seek re-election to the House of Commons on their appointment to office. The Re-Election of Ministers Act 1919 ended the necessity to seek re-election within nine months of a general election, and the Re-Election of Ministers Act (1919) Amendment Act 1926 ended the practice in all other cases.
By-elections 35th Parliament (1929–1931)By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party CauseGuildford25 August 1931Henry BuckinghamCharles RhysDeathLiverpool Wavertree23 June 1931John TinnéRonald Nall-CainResignationManchester Ardwick22 June 1931Thomas LowthJoseph HendersonDeathGateshead8 June 1931 James MelvilleHerbert EvansDeathRutherglen21 May 1931William WrightDavid HardieDeathStroud21 May 1931Sir Frank NelsonWalter PerkinsResignationOgmore19 May 1931Vernon HartshornEdward WilliamsDeathGlasgow St Rollox7 May 1931James StewartWilliam LeonardDeathScarborough and Whitby6 May 1931Sidney HerbertPaul LathamResignationAshton-under-Lyne30 April 1931Albert BellamyJohn BroadbentDeathWoolwich East15 April 1931Henry SnellGeorge HicksElevation to the peerageSunderland26 March 1931Alfred SmithLuke ThompsonDeathPontypridd19 March 1931Thomas Mardy JonesDavid Lewis DaviesResignationWestminster St George's19 March 1931Laming Worthington-EvansDuff CooperDeathSalisbury11 March 1931Hugh MorrisonJames Despencer-Robertson ResignationFermanagh and Tyrone7 March 1931Thomas HarbisonCahir HealyDeathFareham20 February 1931John DavidsonThomas InskipResignationIslington East19 February 1931Ethel BenthamLeah ManningDeathLiverpool East Toxteth5 February 1931Henry MondPatrick Buchan-HepburnSuccession to the peerageBristol East16 January 1931Walter BakerStafford CrippsDeathWhitechapel and St George's3 December 1930Harry GoslingJ. H. HallDeathEast Renfrewshire28 November 1930Alexander MacRobertDouglas Douglas-HamiltonDeathShipley6 November 1930William MackinderJames LockwoodDeathPaddington South30 October 1930Douglas KingErnest TaylorDeathBromley2 September 1930Cuthbert James Edward CampbellDeathNorth Norfolk9 July 1930Noel BuxtonLucy Noel-BuxtonElevation to the peerageGlasgow Shettleston26 June 1930John WheatleyJohn McGovernDeathNottingham Central27 May 1930Albert BennettTerence O'ConnorResignationFulham West6 May 1930Ernest SperoCyril CobbResignationSheffield Brightside6 February 1930Arthur PonsonbyFred MarshallElevated to the peerageLiverpool Scotland14 December 1929T. P. O'ConnorDavid LoganDeathTamworth2 December 1929Edward IliffeArthur Steel-MaitlandResignationKilmarnock27 November 1929Robert ClimieCraigie AitchisonDeathTwickenham8 August 1929William Joynson-HicksJohn FergusonElevated to the peerageLeeds South East1 August 1929Henry SlesserJames MilnerResignationPreston31 July 1929William JowittWilliam JowittSought re-election upon change of party allegiance34th Parliament (1924–1929)By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party CauseNorth Lanarkshire21 March 1929Alexander SprotJennie LeeDeathHolland with Boston21 March 1929Arthur DeanJames BlindellDeathBath21 March 1929Charles FoxcroftCharles Baillie-HamiltonDeathEddisbury20 March 1929Harry BarnstonR. J. RussellDeathLiverpool East Toxteth19 March 1929Albert JacobHenry MondDeathWansbeck13 February 1929George WarneGeorge ShieldDeathBishop Auckland7 February 1929Ben SpoorRuth DaltonDeathBattersea South7 February 1929Francis CurzonWilliam BennettSuccession to the peerageLondonderry29 January 1929Malcolm MacnaghtenRonald RossAppointment as High Court judgeMidlothian and Peeblesshire Northern29 January 1929George HutchisonAndrew ClarkeDeathAshton-under-Lyne29 October 1928Cornelius HomanAlbert BellamyDeclared bankruptTavistock11 October 1928Philip Kenyon-SlaneyWallace Duffield WrightDeathCheltenham26 September 1928James Agg-GardnerWalter PrestonDeathAberdeen North16 August 1928Frank RoseWilliam Wedgwood BennDeathSheffield Hallam16 July 1928Frederick SykesLouis SmithAppointed Governor of BombayHalifax13 July 1928John Henry WhitleyArthur LongbottomResignation (retired as Speaker)Epsom4 July 1928George BladesArchibald Southby Elevation to the peerageCarmarthen28 June 1928Alfred Mond/ConservativeWilliam Nathaniel JonesElevation to the Hereditary PeerageHolborn28 June 1928James RemnantStuart BevanElevation to the peerageSt Marylebone30 April 1928Sir Douglas HoggRennell RoddAppointed Lord ChancellorHanley23 April 1928Samuel ClowesArthur HollinsDeathLinlithgowshire4 April 1928James KiddManny ShinwellDeathMiddlesbrough West7 March 1928Trevelyan ThomsonF. Kingsley GriffithDeathSt Ives6 March 1928Anthony HawkeHilda RuncimanAppointment as a High Court JudgeIlford23 February 1928Fredric WiseGeorge HamiltonDeathLancaster9 February 1928Gerald StricklandRobert Parkinson TomlinsonElevation to the Hereditary PeerageBristol West2 February 1928George GibbsCyril CulverwellElevation to the peerageFaversham25 January 1928Granville WhelerAdam MaitlandDeathNorthampton9 January 1928Arthur HollandCecil L'Estrange MaloneDeathCanterbury24 November 1927Ronald McNeillWilliam WaylandElevation to the peerageSouthend19 November 1927Rupert GuinnessGwendolen GuinnessSuccession to the peerageBrixton27 June 1927Davison DalzielNigel ColmanElevation to the peerageWestbury16 June 1927Walter William ShawRichard LongDeathBosworth31 May 1927Robert GeeWilliam EdgeResignationCombined Scottish Universities26–29 April 1927Henry CraikJohn BuchanDeathSouthwark North28 March 1927Leslie Haden-GuestEdward StraussSought re-election as a ConstitutionalistLeith23 March 1927William Wedgwood BennErnest BrownResignationStourbridge23 February 1927Douglas PielouWilfred WellockDeathSmethwick21 December 1926John DavisonOswald MosleyResignationChelmsford30 November 1926Henry Curtis-BennettCharles Howard-BuryResignationKingston-upon-Hull Central29 November 1926Joseph KenworthyJoseph KenworthySought re-election upon change of party allegianceHowdenshire25 November 1926Stanley JacksonWilliam CarverResignationNorth Cumberland17 September 1926Donald HowardFergus GrahamSuccession to the peerageWallsend21 July 1926Patrick HastingsMargaret BondfieldResignationHammersmith North20 May 1926Ellis Ashmead-BartlettJames Patrick GardnerResignationBuckrose5 May 1926Guy GauntAlbert BraithwaiteResignationEast Ham North29 April 1926Charles Williamson CrookSusan LawrenceDeathBothwell26 March 1926John RobertsonJoseph SullivanDeathCombined English Universities8–12 March 1926Herbert Albert Laurens FisherAlfred HopkinsonResignationDarlington17 February 1926William Edwin PeaseArthur Lewis ShepherdDeathCambridge University13 February 1926John RawlinsonJohn James WithersDeathEast Renfrewshire29 January 1926Alexander Munro MacRobertAlexander Munro MacRobertAppointed Solicitor General for ScotlandDunbartonshire29 January 1926David FlemingJohn ThomAppointed to the Court of SessionRipon5 December 1925Edward WoodJohn Waller HillsResignationBury St Edmunds1 December 1925Walter GuinnessWalter GuinnessAppointed Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesGalloway17 November 1925Arthur Henniker-HughanSidney StreatfieldDeathStockport17 September 1925William GreenwoodArnold TownendDeathForest of Dean14 July 1925James WignallA. A. PurcellDeathOldham24 June 1925Edward GriggWilliam WigginsResignationEastbourne17 June 1925George LloydWilliam Reginald HallResignationAyr Burghs12 June 1925John BairdThomas MooreAppointed Governor-General of AustraliaWalsall27 February 1925William PrestonWilliam PrestonDisqualificationDundee22 December 1924E. D. MorelThomas JohnstonDeath33rd Parliament (1923–1924)By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party CauseCarmarthen14 August 1924Ellis Ellis-GriffithAlfred MondResignationHolland with Boston31 July 1924William RoyceArthur DeanDeathLewes9 July 1924William CampionTufton BeamishAppointment as Governor of Western AustraliaOxford5 June 1924Frank GrayRobert BourneElection declared voidGlasgow Kelvingrove23 May 1924William HutchisonWalter ElliotDeathLiverpool West Toxteth22 May 1924Robert HoustonJoseph GibbinsResignationWestminster Abbey19 March 1924John NicholsonOtho NicholsonDeathDover12 March 1924John AstorJohn AstorVoted before taking the Oath of AllegianceBurnley28 February 1924David IrvingArthur HendersonDeathCity of London1 February 1924Frederick BanburyVansittart BowaterElevation to the peerage32nd Parliament (1922–1923)By-election Date Incumbent Party Winner Party CauseYeovil30 October 1923Aubrey HerbertGeorge DaviesDeathRutland and Stamford30 October 1923Charles Harvey DixonNeville Smith-CaringtonDeathPortsmouth South13 August 1923Leslie Orme WilsonHerbert CayzerResignationLeeds Central26 July 1923Arthur Wellesley WilleyCharles Henry WilsonDeathTiverton21 June 1923Herbert SparkesFrancis Dyke AclandDeathMorpeth21 June 1923John CairnsRobert SmillieDeathBerwick-upon-Tweed31 May 1923Hilton PhilipsonMabel PhilipsonVoid election (electoral fraud)Ludlow19 April 1923Ivor Windsor-CliveGeorge Windsor-CliveSuccession to the peerageAnglesey7 April 1923Owen Thomas LabourRobert ThomasDeathLiverpool Edge Hill6 March 1923William RutherfordJack HayesResignationMitcham3 March 1923Thomas WorsfoldJames Chuter EdeResignationWillesden East3 March 1923Harry Mallaby-DeeleyHarcourt JohnstoneResignationDarlington28 February 1923Herbert PeaseWilliam Edwin PeaseElevation to the peerageWhitechapel and St George's8 February 1923Charles MathewHarry GoslingDeathNewcastle-upon-Tyne East17 January 1923Joseph Nicholas BellArthur HendersonDeathPortsmouth South13 December 1922Herbert CayzerLeslie WilsonResignation31st Parliament (1919–1922)