BRITISH POLITICS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 132, 17 March 1931, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS

ST, GEORGE'S BY-ELECTION. DEFENCE OF MAGNA CHARTA. AN APPEAL FROM THE PULPIT. (United Press Association—Copyright). LONDON, March 16. To-day's by-election at St. George's, Westminster, has evoked extraordinary interest and unprecedented Press attention. Preaching at the Savoy Chapel a chaplain asked for voluntary workers for Mr Duff Cooper. "For what I regard as distinctly religious work," he said, "for the defence of the Magna Charta of our liberties." He cited Sir Robert Home's views that it was a fight to maintain the decencies of public life against the unparalleled vulgarities introduced by the Press Barons. The by-election op the St. George's seat, which, is in the London borough of Westminster, was rendered necessary hx. the death; of Sir Lamington Worthington Evans. At the . General Election ho received 22,448 votes, and the Labour candidate 6294 votes. The seat is now being contested by Mr Alfred Duff formerly member for Oldham and Financial Secretary to the War Office, as official Conservative candidate. He is opposed by Sir Ernest Petter, who is standing as an Independent Conservative in opposition to the leadership of Ma* Stanley Baldwin, which he has described as being disastrous. In opening the campaign oncMarch 7, Mr Duff Cooper defended Mr Baldwin, and defined the issue at stake—whether the Conservative Party should be* allowed to choose its own leader, or submit to the dictatorship of the Rothermero or the Beaverbrook section of the Press.

TWO MORE VACANT SEATS. OGMORE AND EAST WOOLWICH. LONDON, March 14 The elevation of Mr Henry Snell, the new Under-Secretary for India, to the peerage, and the death of Mr Vernon Hartshorne, Lord Privy Seal, create vacancies in the Parliamentary Divisions of East Woolwich and Ogmore, Glamorganshire. At the general election, Mr Snell, in a straieht contest with a Conservative, had a majority of 8541, and Mr Haxtshorne's majority over the Liberal candidate was 11,096, in a contest in which Conservative and Communist candidates also took part.—British Official Wireless.