1931 Rutherglen by-election

The1931Rutherglenby-electionwas held on 21 May 1931. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Labour MP,William Wright.It was won by the Labour candidateDavid Hardie

Wright had held the seat since1922when he had gained it for Labour from the Unionist Party. His majority over the Unionists at the1929 electionhad been over 5,000 votes, an increase from 1,089 votes in1924.In addition to Labour and the Unionists, both theLiberal Partyand theCommunist Party of Great Britainhad contested the seat in 1929, polling less than 4,000 votes between them.

Labour's candidate David Hardie, was the brother of Labour's founderKeir Hardie,andGeorge Hardie,who was then serving as MP forGlasgow Springburn.His sole opponent was the Unionist Party'sCaptain H. J. Mosswho campaigned on the central issue of "the prosperity policy of safeguarding British industries".

Rutherglen by-election, 1931

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Hardie	16,736	51.4	−0.8
	Unionist	Herbert Moss	15,853	48.6	+12.1
Majority			883	2.8	−12.9
Turnout			32,589	69.6	−6.1
Registered electors			46,804
	Labourhold		Swing	−5.7

While Hardie held the seat for Labour, the Party's majority was significantly reduced. Thegeneral election a few months latersaw a rematch between the two candidates, with Moss emerging victorious with a majority of over 5,000.