1929 Holland with Boston by-election

{{Infobox election

|election_name=1929 Holland with Boston by-election

|type=presidential

|country=United Kingdom

|previous_election=Holland with Boston (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1920s

|previous_year=1924

|next_election=Holland with Boston (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1920s

|next_year=1929

|election_date=21 March 1929

|candidate1=Blindell

|image1=65px

|party1=Liberal Party (UK)

|popular_vote1=13,000

|percentage1=38.1%

|candidate2=Blanco White

|image2=65px

|party2=Labour Party (UK)

|popular_vote2=9,294

|percentage2=27.3%

|candidate3=Van den Berg

|image3=

|party3=Unionist Party (UK)

|popular_vote3=8,257

|percentage3=24.2%

|candidate4=Dennis

|image4=

|party4=Agricultural Party

|popular_vote4=3,541

|percentage4=10.4%

|map_image=

|map_size=250px

|title=MP

|posttitle=Subsequent MP

|before_election=Arthur Wellesley Dean

|before_party=Unionist Party (UK)

|after_election=James Blindell

|after_party=Liberal Party (UK)

}}

The 1929 Holland with Boston by-election was a by-election held on 21 March 1929 for the British House of Commons constituency of Holland with Boston in Lincolnshire.

The by-election was caused by the death of the Unionist Member of Parliament, Arthur Dean; who had held the seat at the 1924 general election. At that election, Labour came second and the Liberals finished third. Labour had won the seat in 1918, but it had been gained by the Unionists at a by-election just before the 1924 general election.

Candidates

The new Unionist candidate chosen to defend the seat was Frederick J. Van den Berg. He was born and raised in Johannesburg, before moving to London to practise as a Barrister in 1916. He was standing as a candidate for the first time.

The Labour Party candidate was George Blanco White, a lawyer who had stood here last time. The Liberals chose a new candidate in James Blindell, a Grimsby councillor and managing director of a boot manufacturing business. The election was marked by the presence of an Independent Agriculturalist candidate, F. W. Dennis.{{cite news |title=The Nominations |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001522/19290316/111/0006 |access-date=6 August 2023 |work=Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian |date=16 March 1929}}

Campaign

On 1 March, nationally, Liberal leader, David Lloyd George launched the Liberal programme for the upcoming general election, titled We Can Conquer Unemployment.

On the eve of poll, the voters of Eddisbury elected a Liberal in place of a Unionist.

Result

The result was a victory for the Liberal Party candidate James Blindell,{{London Gazette

|issue= 33480

|date=26 March 1929

|page=2084

}} who overturned a Unionist majority of 4,770 to win by a majority of 3,706 votes.

{{Election box begin |

|title=By-election 1929: Holland with Boston

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = James Blindell

|votes = 13,000

|percentage = 38.1

|change = +18.4

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = G. R. Blanco White

|votes = 9,294

|percentage = 27.3

|change = −5.5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Unionist Party (UK)

|candidate = Frederick J. Van den Berg

|votes = 8,257

|percentage = 24.2

|change = −23.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Agricultural Party

|candidate = F.W. Dennis

|votes = 3,541

|percentage = 10.4

|change = New

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 3,706

|percentage = 10.8

|change = N/A

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 34,092

|percentage = 75.6

|change = −0.2

}}

{{Election box gain with party link|

|winner = Liberal Party (UK)

|loser = Unionist Party (UK)

|swing = +15.9

}}

Aftermath

A general election followed in a matter of months. Blindell held the seat for the Liberals, with Van den Berg again standing for the Unionists, finishing second. White did not stand again and the new Labour candidate dropped to third place. The Agricultural Party did not contest the seat. Blindell remained MP until his death in 1937.

This was the last by-election gain for the Liberal Party until the 1958 Torrington by-election.

References

Sources

{{cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |author-link= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 |orig-year=1969 |edition= 3rd |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-900178-06-X}}
{{Rayment-hc|h|3|date=March 2012}}

Holland with Boston by-election

Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Lincolnshire constituencies

1929 Holland with Boston by-election

Candidates

Campaign

Result

Aftermath

See also

References

Sources