The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Unionist MP, Albert Edward Jacob on 26 February 1929, aged 71.
One former Unionist MP had crossed the floor to join the Liberals in 1906 due to his support for Free Trade, but he did not attempt to defend the seat under his new party colours.
Since the war, the most successful non Unionist candidate was the Independent Eleanor Rathbone, who had polled nearly 40% in a two-horse race at the 1922 general election.
In an economic emergency, to avoid a general reduction of wages he favoured a tariff on foreign manufactured goods and 'a policy of Imperial insulation'; but mostly he appealed to governments to observe different priorities.
He deprecated 'scare statements' regarding Labour's financial intentions, and advocated raising the school-leaving age, adequate pensions, an international forty-eight hours week, the scientific utilization of land, a unified coal industry, public works, and trade expansion.