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The1943Newark by-election was held on 8 June 1943. The by-election was held due to the succession to the peerage of the incumbent Conservative MP,William Cavendish-Bentinck. It was won by the Conservative candidateSidney Shephard.[1]
49 year-oldSidney Shephard was chosen as the Conservative candidate. He wasHigh Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. He also commanded the NewarkHome Guard Battalion.
At the outbreak of war, the Conservative, Liberal and Labour parties had agreed an electoral truce which meant that when a by-election occurred, the party that was defending the seat would not be opposed by an official candidate from the other two parties. When the Labour and Liberal parties joined the Coalition government, it was agreed that any by-election candidate defending a government seat would receive a letter of endorsement jointly signed by all the party leaders.
Alan Dawrant, known to have progressive leanings, stood as an Independent. He was the brother-in-law ofDenis Kendall, the recently elected Independent MP forGrantham. 40 year-old solicitor Flight-LieutenantEdward Moeran, who had served inGibraltar, was theCommon Wealth party candidate.[2] 55 year-old Liberal, John Thomas Pepper also stood. He was the prospective Liberal candidate for neighbouringMelton and Chairman of Nottingham East Liberals.[3]
The three anti-Tory candidates spent much time attacking each other. The Dawrant campaign was belatedly able to establish its candidate as the main challenger to the Conservative, with the support of Independent MPs Kendall,George Reakes and his election agent[4]William Brown, along with the Liberal MPsClement Davies andTom Horabin.[5]
The Conservative Party held the seat with an increased majority.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sidney Shephard | 20,120 | 61.2 | −1.2 | |
| Independent Progressive | Alan Dawrant | 7,110 | 21.6 | New | |
| Common Wealth | Edward Moeran | 3,189 | 9.7 | New | |
| Independent Liberal | John Thomas Pepper | 2,473 | 7.5 | New | |
| Majority | 13,010 | 39.6 | +14.7 | ||
| Turnout | 32,892 | ||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | ||||
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