The war-time electoral pact was an electoral pact established by the member parties of the UK coalition governments in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and re-established in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Under the pact, in the event of a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

only the party which previously held the seat would nominate a candidate, and the other coalition parties would stand aside.Page xv
British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918
FWS Craig This led to a number of unopposed by-elections as well as strong showings and surprise victories by

third party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a V ...

candidates. The 1914 to 1918 truce was officially broken in June 1918 when the Labour Party decided that the truce should no longer be recognised, although no Labour candidates were nominated before the 1918 General Election.

References

Elections in the United Kingdom Political history of the United Kingdom United Kingdom in World War I United Kingdom home front during World War II Politics of World War I Politics of World War II {{UK-election-stub