Luton by-election, 1911
Cecil Harmsworth of the Liberal Party narrowly won the by-election of 1911 in the constituency of Luton.
Vacancy
Thomas Ashton had been the Liberal MP here since 1895. Luton had been Liberal since the seat was created in 1885. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Ashton of Hyde, in the County of Chester, with a seat in the House of Lords.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Thomas Gair Ashton | 7,601 | 53.4 | +0.5 | |
| Conservative | John Owen Hickman | 6,623 | 46.6 | -0.5 | |
| Majority | 6.8 | ||||
| Turnout | 85.9 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +0.5 | |||
Candidates
The new Liberal candidate selected to defend the seat was Cecil Harmsworth. He had been Liberal MP for Droitwich, Worcestershire until his defeat there in January 1910. The Conservatives re-selected John Owen Hickman, who had been their candidate last time.
Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth | 7,619 | 52.1 | -1.3 | |
| Conservative | John Owen Hickman | 7,006 | 47.9 | +1.3 | |
| Majority | 613 | 4.2 | |||
| Turnout | 85.1 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -1.3 | |||
Aftermath
A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth | ||||
| Unionist | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | 13,501 | 69.4 | |||
| Labour | Willet Ball | 5,964 | 30.6 | n/a | |
| Majority | 7,537 | 38.8 | |||
| Turnout | 52.5 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
- Harmsworth was the endorsed candidate of the Coalition Government.