1924 Westminster Abbey by-election

The seat had become vacant when the Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) John Nicholson died on 21 February 1924.

He had lost his seat of Dundee in the 1922 general election as a National Liberal follower of David Lloyd George.

In 1923 following reconciliation between Lloyd George and H. H. Asquith at the 1923 general election he had stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in Leicester West.

He stood in the Westminster Abbey by-election as a "Constitutionalist" and received unofficial Unionist support.

At first it seemed Churchill would be officially supported by the Unionists' local organisation the Westminster Abbey Constitutional Association, but they decided to nominate their own candidate, Otho Nicholson, the nephew of the former member.

In fact, Abbey Liberals stated that Scott Duckers name would only go forward if Churchill was a candidate.

The 1921 by-election had shown a willingness among the mass Unionist electorate to vote for an unofficial candidate.

[2] Celebrity sportsmen, jockey Steve Donoghue and boxer Jimmy Wilde publicly supported Churchill.