1905 Brighton by-election

The Brighton by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It was one of only eight ministerial by-elections in the UK not to be retained by the incumbent.

1905 Brighton by-election

5 April 1905

Candidate Villiers Loder Party Liberal Conservative Popular vote 8,209 7,392 Percentage 52.6 47.4

MP before election Loder Conservative Subsequent MP Villiers Liberal

Vacancy

Gerald Loder had been Conservative MP for the seat of Brighton since the 1889 Brighton by-election. He vacated his seat upon appointment as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury so as to seek re-election.

Electoral history

Brighton returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. The seat had been Conservative since they gained it in 1885. They easily held both seats at the last election:

General election January 1900[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Gerald Loder	7,858
	Conservative	Bruce Vernon-Wentworth	6,626	34.6
	Ind. Conservative	J. Kensit	4,693	24.5
Turnout				62.2
Majority			1,933	10.1
	Conservative hold		Swing
Majority
	Conservative hold		Swing

Candidates

The Conservatives re-selected 44-year-old Gerald Loder to defend the seat. He was private secretary to the President of the Local Government Board (Charles Ritchie) from 1888 to 1892 and to Lord George Hamilton (the Secretary of State for India) from 1896 to 1901.[2]

The local Liberal Association selected 42-year-old Ernest Villiers as their candidate. He was ordained as an Anglican priest. After three years as a curate in Halifax, he became rector of Haveringland, Norfolk. He resigned from holy orders to pursue a political career.[3]

Campaign

Polling Day was fixed for 5 April 1905.

Result

The Liberals gained the seat from the Conservatives:

Brighton by-election, 1905[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Ernest Villiers	8,209	52.6
	Conservative	Gerald Loder	7,392	47.4
Turnout				76.3
Majority			817
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Aftermath

At the following General Election, the Liberals gained the other seat from the Conservatives, the result was:

General election January 1906[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Ernest Villiers	9,062	26.4	n/a
	Liberal	Aurelian Ridsdale	8,919	26.0
	Conservative	George Tryon	8,188	23.8
	Conservative	John Gordon	8,176	23.8
Turnout				82.5
Majority			731	2.2
	Liberal hold		Swing
Majority
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

References

1. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
2. Who's Who
3. Who's Who
4. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
5. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig