The election was occasioned by the appointment of the sitting Liberal MP, Edward Grigg (a former private secretary to David Lloyd George) to the governorship of Kenya.

Wiggins, described as a staunch free-trader and robust Radical[2] was selected as Liberal candidate and Tout was invited to stand again by the Oldham Trades and Labour Council.

The Liberals played to this with Conservative minded voters in the campaign, with Lloyd George declaring at a speech in Oldham that the issue was about socialism and raising the spectre of Tout's record of supporting the state ownership of many industries.

The free-trade issue was also a continuing feature of the election with Sir Alfred Mond, still at that time a Liberal but to defect to the Tories in 1926, delivering a speech on the subject[5] and on 13 June in the Committee on the Finance Bill, the silk duties were carried,[6] providing ammunition for Wiggins’ campaign.

Wiggins won the by-election with a majority of 4,623 over Tout in a poll where turnout was 66% and in his acceptance speech freely acknowledged the wholehearted support of Liberals and Conservatives against Socialism.

[7] When the Oldham Liberals decided to contest both seats at the general election of 1929, Wiggins felt this undermined the tacit understanding the party had with the Conservatives and he declined to stand for re-election.

After he retired from Parliament, Wiggins continued to play a leading public role in representing the cotton manufacturing industry and the development of practices in the field.

The delegation called for special measures to protect the industry and give government assistance to Lancashire to help overcome the economic and social effects of the depression.

After the War, Wiggins served as one of the employers’ representatives on the Cotton Working Party set up in October 1945 which proposed a comprehensive programme for the re-equipment and reorganisation of the industry with government help and finance but stopping short of a request for nationalisation.