Tower Hamlets St George by-election, 1910

St George's in the London County area, showing boundaries used in 1910

The Tower Hamlets St George by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. It was held on 1 March 1910.

Vacancy

The by-election was caused due to the incumbent Liberal MP, William Wedgwood Benn, becoming a Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring him to seek re-election.

Electoral history

The seat had been Liberal since Benn gained it in 1906. Benn easily held the seat at the January 1910 election, with a reduced majority;

General Election January 1910: Tower Hamlets, St. George[1] Electorate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Wedgwood Benn	1,568	58.0	-3.3
	Conservative	Percy Coleman Simmons	1,134	42.0	+3.3
Majority			434	16.0	-6.6
Turnout
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.3

Candidates

• The local Liberal Association re-selected 33-year-old Wedgwood Benn to defend the seat.
• The Conservatives retained Percy Coleman Simmons as their candidate.

Campaign

Polling Day was fixed for the 1 March 1910.

Result

The Liberals held the seat and managed a slightly increased majority;

Tower Hamlets St George by-election, 1910[2] Electorate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Wedgwood Benn	1,598	59.5	+1.5
	Conservative	Percy Coleman Simmons	1,089	40.5	-1.5
Majority			509	19.0	+3.0
Turnout
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.5

Aftermath

Benn was re-elected at the general election 9 months later.

General Election December 1910: Tower Hamlets, St. George[3] Electorate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Wedgwood Benn	1,401	57.8	-1.7
	Conservative	Douglas Clifton Brown	1,022	42.2	+1.7
Majority			379	15.6	-3.4
Turnout
	Liberal hold		Swing	-1.7

References

1. Craig, F.W.S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.
2. Craig, F.W.S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.
3. Craig, F.W.S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.