Reading (UK Parliament constituency)

Despite this high electorate, the corporation of the town was generally considered in practice to control elections to a large extent.

In the second half of the 18th century, Reading was notoriously one of the most corrupt constituencies in England, bribery being both routine and expensive: Namier quotes the accounts kept for Prime Minister Newcastle of the 1754 election, which note that John Dodd, the government's candidate there, had already received £1000 and was promised £500 or £600 more to help him win the seat.

A few years later, the nomination to one of Reading's seats was advertised for sale in a London newspaper, though Reading was not mentioned by name and no price was specified; the newspaper's printers were charged by the Commons with a breach of privilege, but the sale of seats remained legal if frowned-upon until 1809.

The Great Reform Act left Reading's representation and boundaries unchanged, and the reformed franchise far from increasing its electorate seems to have reduced it: it was estimated that there were 1,250 voters in 1831, but only 1,001 were registered for the first post-Reform election, that of 1832.The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, coming into effect at the 1885 general election, reduced the representation of the parliamentary borough to a single MP.

From the 1964 general election, a revision to the County Borough wards resulted in minor changes.

Keating resigned after being appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, causing a by-election.

Pigott resigned after being appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, causing a by-election.

The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;