Motherwell by-election, 1945

Motherwell by-election, 1945

12 April 1945

Candidate Robert McIntyre Alexander Anderson Party SNP Labour Popular vote 11,417 10,800 Percentage 51.4 48.6

Map showing the Motherwell Parliamentary constituency within Scotland.

MP before election James Walker Labour Subsequent MP Robert McIntyre SNP

The Motherwell by-election was held on 12 April 1945, following the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Motherwell James Walker.

The by-election took place during the Second World War during unusual political conditions. No general election had been held since 1935, at which James Walker narrowly gained the seat for Labour from the Unionist Party.

There was a truce between the major parties: Labour, the Conservative Party, Liberal Party and the National Liberal Party. The Communist Party of Great Britain, which had held Motherwell in the past, also undertook to abide by the truce. As a result, the only opposition in by-election came from independents, minor parties and occasional unofficial party candidates aligned with major parties.

For the by-election, the Labour Party stood Alexander Anderson. His only opposition came from the Scottish National Party (SNP), then a small party advocating Scottish independence, who stood Party Secretary Robert McIntyre.

Results

The election was won by McIntyre, who became the first SNP Member of Parliament. However, Anderson won the seat from McIntyre at the 1945 UK general election a few months later.

Motherwell by-election, 1945
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Robert McIntyre	11,417	51.4	N/A
	Labour	Alexander Anderson	10,800	48.6	-2.1
Majority			617	2.8	+1.5
Turnout			22,217	54.0	-21.9
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	N/A

See also

• Motherwell (UK Parliament constituency)
• Scottish National Party
• List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)

References

• Dick Douglas, At the Helm: The Life & Times of Dr. Robert D McIntyre