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The1941 Edinburgh Central by-election was aparliamentary by-election held on 11 December 1941 for theBritish House of Commonsconstituency ofEdinburgh Central inScotland.
The seat had become vacant when theConservativeMember of Parliament (MP)James Guy hadresigned from the House of Commons due to ill-health on 24 November 1941, by the procedural device of accepting the post ofSteward of the Manor of Northstead. Guy had held the seat since the1931 general election.
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TheUnionist Party selected as its candidate the 45-year-oldFrank Watt.
The parties in thewar-time Coalition Government had agreed not to contest vacancies in seats held by other coalition parties, but other by-elections had been contested byindependent candidates or those from minor parties. In this case, theIndependent Labour Party (ILP) fielded a candidate,Thomas Taylor, who had previously contested theGlasgow Govan seat at the1935 general election.
The result was a clear victory for Watt, who won comfortably, albeit on a much reduced turnout.[citation needed] He held the seat until his defeat at the1945 general election by theLabour Party candidateAndrew Gilzean.[citation needed]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Frank Watt | 4,771 | 71.0 | +17.0 | |
| Ind. Labour Party | T. Taylor | 1,950 | 29.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,821 | 42.0 | +29.4 | ||
| Turnout | 6,721 | 20.0 | −44.5 | ||
| Unionisthold | Swing | N/A | |||
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