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The Colne Valley by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 18 July 1907. 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.
Vacancy
Sir James Kitson had been Liberal MP for the seat of Colne Valley since the 1892 general election. He was created Baron Airedale on 17 July 1907 and resigned to take a seat in the House of Lords.
Electoral history
The seat was re-gained from the Liberal Unionists in 1892:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | James Kitson | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Liberal hold | |||||
Candidates
The local Liberal Association selected Philip Bright to defend the seat. He was the son of John Bright the famous Free-trader. The Conservatives selected 35-year-old barrister, Granville Charles Hastings Wheler, later 1st (and last) Baronet of Otterden, as their candidate. He had contested Osgoldcross at the last general election.
Twenty-six-year-old Victor Grayson stood as an Independent Labour candidate, having been nominated by the Colne Valley Labour League. This was the local branch of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), but the ILP and Labour Party both decided against backing Grayson's candidacy. Grayson was born in Liverpool and became an apprentice engineer. He joined the Independent Labour Party and toured the country giving lectures, becoming a well-known orator despite having a stammer.
Polling Day was fixed for 18 July 1907.
Result
Grayson gained the seat:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colne Valley Labour | Victor Grayson | 3,648 | 35.2 | New | |
| Liberal | Philip Bright | 3,495 | 33.7 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Granville Wheler | 3,227 | 31.1 | New | |
| Majority | 153 | 1.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 10,370 | 88.1 | N/A | ||
| Independent Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
Aftermath
Wheler was elected at Faversham at the next general election. Grayson was defeated by a new Liberal candidate:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Leach | 4,741 | 40.7 | +7.0 | |
| Conservative | Archibald Boyd-Carpenter | 3,750 | 32.2 | +1.1 | |
| Colne Valley Labour | Victor Grayson | 3,149 | 27.1 | −8.1 | |
| Majority | 991 | 8.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 11,640 | 93.2 | +5.1 | ||
| Liberal gain from Independent Labour | Swing | +7.6 | |||
References
- Craig, F.W.S. (1987). Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 101.
- ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918, palgrave.com; accessed 5 May 2017.
- Clark, David (1981). Colne Valley: Radicalism to Socialism. London: Longman. ISBN 0582502934.