The1910 Govan by-election was a parliamentaryby-election held for the UKHouse of Commons constituency of theGovan Division ofLanarkshire on 28 April 1910.
The by-election was caused by the appointment of the sittingLiberalMember of Parliament (MP),William HunterKC asSolicitor General for Scotland.[1] Under the Parliamentary rules applicable at the time if Hunter wished to remain an MP he had to resign and fight a by-election.
The Govan Liberals re-selected Hunter to try to retain his seat which he had held since theJanuary 1910 general election when he obtained a majority of 1,429 votes and gained the seat from theUnionists.[2]
It was reported that the Unionists were not eager to contest a by-election and that "as a matter of courtesy" Hunter might be allowed a walkover. An added consideration was that it seemed likely a new general election would be called within a few months.[3] Representatives of the Conservatives andLiberal Unionists met on 21 April to discuss the by-election and decided not to put up a candidate.[4]
Despite having contested the constituency at the previous general election, theLabour Party[5] also chose not to oppose Hunter.
There being no other candidates putting themselves forward, Hunter was returned unopposed.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | William Hunter | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Liberalhold | Swing | N/A | |||