Cotton was then aged 50 years and had been Progressive Party member of the London County Council for East Finsbury since 1910.

[4] As participants in the wartime coalition with Prime Minister David Lloyd George, the Conservatives chose not to contest the by-election and endorsed Cotton as the government candidate.

Mr Charles Lamble, the Chairman of the Government Temporary Clerks' Association, announced he would be standing in the election.

Mr A S Belsher was a solicitor's managing clerk and Chairman of the London Licensed Victuallers Central Protection Board.

[10] In a wartime contest on a clearly out of date electoral register Cotton easily retained the seat for the government with a majority of 580 votes over Spencer.

Cotton's vote was also seen as a rejection of the kind of political violence which had marred the by-election and which was chiefly associated with the campaigns of Spencer and Belsher.

[12] The Times newspaper reported that Cotton had not been a good candidate, a weak campaigner and inconsistent on the German boycott.