1905 Brighton by-election
← 1900 5 April 1905 1906 →
 
Candidate Villiers Loder
Party Liberal Conservative
Popular vote 8,209 7,392
Percentage 52.6% 47.4%
MP before election

Loder
Conservative

Subsequent MP

Villiers
Liberal

The 1905 Brighton by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 5 April 1905.[1] The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

It was one of only eight ministerial by-elections in the UK not to be retained by the incumbent.[citation needed]

Vacancy

Gerald Loder had been Conservative MP for the seat of Brighton since the 1889 Brighton by-election. He vacated his seat upon appointment as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury so as to seek re-election.

Electoral history

Brighton returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. The seat had been Conservative since they gained it in 1885. They easily held both seats at the last election:

General election January 1900[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gerald Loder 7,858 40.8
Conservative Bruce Vernon-Wentworth 6,626 34.6 -2.0
Ind. Conservative J. Kensit 4,693 24.5 New
Majority 1,933 10.1 -1.6
Conservative hold Swing
Majority 1,232 6.2
Conservative hold Swing
Turnout 19,177 62.2 -12.2

Candidates

The Conservatives re-selected 44-year-old Gerald Loder to defend the seat. He was private secretary to the President of the Local Government Board (Charles Ritchie) from 1888 to 1892 and to Lord George Hamilton (the Secretary of State for India) from 1896 to 1901.[3]

The local Liberal Association selected 42-year-old Ernest Villiers as their candidate. He was ordained as an Anglican priest. After three years as a curate in Halifax, he became rector of Haveringland, Norfolk. He resigned from holy orders to pursue a political career.[4]

Campaign

Polling Day was fixed for 5 April 1905.

Result

The Liberals gained the seat from the Conservatives:

Brighton by-election, 1905[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Villiers 8,209 52.6 New
Conservative Gerald Loder 7,392 47.4 -28.1
Majority 817 5.2 N/A
Turnout 15,601 76.3 +14.1
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing

Aftermath

At the following General Election, the Liberals gained the other seat from the Conservatives, the result was:

General election January 1906[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Villiers 9,062 26.4 N/A
Liberal Aurelian Ridsdale 8,919 26.0 N/A
Conservative George Tryon 8,188 23.8 -17.1
Conservative John Gordon 8,176 23.8 -10.8
Majority 731 2.2 N/A
Liberal hold Swing
Majority 886 2.6 N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
Turnout 34,345 82.5

References

  1. ^ Craig, F.W.S. (1987). Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 99.
  2. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
  3. ^ Who's Who
  4. ^ Who's Who
  5. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
  6. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
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