1918 Keighley by-election
The 1918 Keighley by-election was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire on 26 April 1918. Vacancy The by-election was caused by the death on 16 March 1918 of the sitting Liberal MP, Sir Swire Smith. Electoral history The most recent contest in the constituency had seen a three-way battle; Candidates Keighley Liberals chose as their candidate William Somervell, a director of his family business, Somervell Bros. of Kendal, leather merchants and boot manufacturers, later known as K Shoes. Somervell had twice previously contested the South or Kendal Division of Westmorland for the Liberals. As the by-election was taking place during wartime and Somervell was standing as the candidate of the Coalition government he did not face Conservative or Labour Party opponents. There was however an Independent Labour Party candidate, William Bland, who ran on a "Peace by Negotiation" platform. He had been the official Labour candidate at the previous contested by-election in the constituency, in 1913. At one point it looked as if there would be a woman candidate in the field. Nina Boyle, a journalist and well-known campaigner for women's suffrage and women's rights made known her