1936 Greenock by-election
The 1936 Greenock by-election was a by-election held on 26 November 1936 for the UK House of Commons constituency of Greenock in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Vacancy
[edit]The seat had become vacant on 13 October 1936 when the Secretary of State for Scotland, Sir Godfrey Collins died at the age of 61. A National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP), he held the seat since the January 1910 general election.
Candidates
[edit]The National Liberal candidate was V. E. Cornelius, who had not previously contested a parliamentary election.
His only opponent was the Labour Party candidate, 50-year-old Robert Gibson. Gibson had unsuccessfully contested one by-election and three general elections most recently at Dundee in 1935.
Result
[edit]On a high turnout, the result was a victory for Gibson, who won the seat with a swing of nearly 8%. He held the seat until his resignation in 1941.
Votes
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Robert Gibson | 20,594 | 53.4 | +9.4 | |
| National Liberal | V. E. Cornelius | 17,990 | 46.6 | −6.1 | |
| Majority | 2,604 | 6.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 38,584 | 83.3 | −1.1 | ||
| Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | +7.85 | |||
Previous election
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal | Godfrey Collins | 20,299 | 52.7 | +1.6 | |
| Labour | T. Irwin | 16,945 | 44.0 | +13.3 | |
| SNP | J. L. Kinloch | 1,286 | 3.3 | New | |
| Majority | 3,354 | 8.7 | −15.7 | ||
| Turnout | 38,530 | 84.4 | +4.1 | ||
| National Liberal hold | Swing | −5.9 | |||
See also
[edit]- Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)
- Greenock
- 1941 Greenock by-election
- 1955 Greenock by-election
- List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
Sources
[edit]- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs