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1937 Chertsey by-election

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1937 Chertsey by-election

← 1935 2 July 1937 1945 →

Constituency of Chertsey
Turnout39.2% (Decrease21.0%)
  First party Second party
 
Lib
Candidate Arthur Marsden Ernest Ronald Haylor
Party Conservative Liberal
Popular vote 19,767 10,722
Percentage 64.8% 35.2%
Swing Decrease6.6% Increase6.6%

MP before election

Archibald Boyd-Carpenter
Conservative

Subsequent MP

Arthur Marsden
Conservative

The 1937 Chertsey by-election was held on 2 July 1937. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Conservative MP, Archibald Boyd-Carpenter.

Candidates

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The Liberal Party selected Ronald Haylor, a Buckingham Gate Barrister. He was educated at the Leys and Trinity College, Oxford. He played hockey for Oxford University and rugby union for a leading London club.[1] He was Liberal Party candidate at Windsor in the 1929 general election and at Totnes for the general elections of 1931 and 1935.[2] There were growing moves for a Popular Front, where parties of the left came together to oppose fascism and Nazi appeasement. In Chertsey, a local Popular Front was formed, which hoped to see the Liberal and Labour parties support a progressive candidate. They launched a charter in February 1937.[3] Haylor was given the backing of the Chertsey Popular Front and added the suffix of 'Progressive' to the party label.[4]

At first, a three-cornered contest had been expected between the Conservative candidate, the retired naval officer Arthur Marsden, Haylor and Mr F. J. Tompsett, a City rubber broker, who was to have stood as an Independent and anti-Communist. However, Tompsett decided to withdraw in favour of Marsden.[5]

Result and votes

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The Conservative Party held the seat with a reduced majority.

Chertsey by-election, 1937[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Marsden 19,767 64.8 −6.6
Liberal Ernest Ronald Haylor 10,722 35.2 +6.6
Majority 9,045 29.6 −13.2
Turnout 30,489 39.2 −21.0
Conservative hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ The Times House of Commons, 1929
  2. ^ The Times House of Commons, 1935
  3. ^ The Liberal Magazine, 1937
  4. ^ The Scotsman 5 Jun 1937
  5. ^ "CHERTSEY FIGHT". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 24 June 1937. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  6. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig