The by-election at Leicester to fill the vacancy caused by
the resignation of Mr. E. Crawshay-Williams took place on Friday week and resulted as follows
Mr. Gordon Hewart, K.C. (L.)
10,863 Mr. A. M. Wilshere (U.) 9,279 Mr. E. R. Hartley (Soc. and Lab.) ... 2,680 Liberal majority over Unionist ... 1,584
The increase in the electorate was 1,636, the increase in the total poll 1,557, the increase in the Unionist vote 1,732, the decrease in the Liberal vote 2,375, and the decrease in the Liberal majority 4,107. The Insurance Act dominated all other issues in the campaign. The Liberals were content to have retained the seat, but the meaning of the election is as unmistakable as that of all the recent by-elections. The most curious feature of the election was the candidature of Mr. Hartley in open defiance of the leaders of the Labour Party. This, it should be noted, happened in the constituency which returns as one of its members the head of the Labour Party, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. On the eve of the polling a message was received apparently from the leaders of the Labour Party at Westminster denouncing the rebellion and urging working men in Leicester to vote for the Liberal candidate. There is no doubt that this message, which was telephoned from London by Sir Maurice Levy, turned a considerable number of votes in favour of Mr. Hewart.
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