1945 Motherwell by-election

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1945 Motherwell by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1935 12 April 1945 1945  

Motherwell constituency
 First partySecond party
 
Candidate Robert McIntyre Alexander Anderson
Party SNP Labour
Popular vote11,41710,800
Percentage51.4%48.6%
SwingIncrease2.svg 51.4%Decrease2.svg 2.1%

Motherwell Constituency 1918-1950.svg
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.

Contents

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-elections 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. [1]

Results

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

1945 Motherwell by-election [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP Robert McIntyre 11,417 51.4 New
Labour Alexander Anderson 10,80048.6-2.1
Majority6172.8N/A
Turnout 22,21754.0-21.9
SNP gain from Labour Swing N/A

See also

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References

  1. MacPherson, Hamish (12 April 2020). "All about Robert McIntyre: The first SNP MP who made his mark 75 years ago". The National. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  2. "Scots Nationalist Wins Motherwell By-Election". The Glasgow Herald . 14 April 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 24 March 2017.