The 1916 Chesterton by-election was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of the Chesterton or Western Division of Cambridgeshire on 20 January 1916.

Vacancy

The by-election was caused by the re-appointment of the sitting Liberal MP, the Rt. Hon. Edwin Montagu as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Montagu had held this post briefly in 1915 but was replaced after three months by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

on the formation of

H H Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

’s wartime coalition government. At that time he became Financial Secretary to the Treasury a post he had previously held in 1914-15. He now continued to hold the post of Financial Secretary as well as that of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. However under the Parliamentary rules of the day had to resign and fight a by-election.

Candidates

Montagu was re-selected to fight the seat by his local Liberal Association and as the wartime truce between the political parties was in operation no opposing candidate was nominated against him.

The result

There being no other candidates putting themselves forward Montagu was returned unopposed.F W S Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918; Macmillan Press, 1974'' p227 ----

Vacancy

Candidates

The result

References

See also