1923 Belfast West by-election

The 1923 Belfast West by-election was held on 2 May 1923, following the assassination of William Twaddell, the sitting MP.

It was won by Philip James Woods standing as the Fighting Colonel, an independent Unionist separate from the official Unionist party.

Campaign

Woods campaigned on a platform of ultra-loyalism and working-class grievances, and expressed the discontent in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and their part-time reserve, the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC), over security policy. He objected to the appointment of English officers, the dismissal of District Inspector John William Nixon in February 1924 as a result of the McMahon killings, and in March 1924 reductions to the USC.

Result

1923 Belfast West by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Unionist	Philip James Woods	25,761	55.3	New
	Ulster Unionist	Joseph Davison	19,360	41.6	-20.0
Majority			7,859	13.7	N/A
Turnout			46,597	69.3	-23.0
	Ind. Unionist gain from Ulster Unionist		Swing

Aftermath

Woods stood in 1925 in both Belfast West and Belfast South, winning both seats, but opting to sit for Belfast West. He campaigned in the Parliament for ex-servicemen and on economic and social issues. As the only MP without party affiliations before the Nationalists took their seats, he operated as a lone opposition voice to the dominant Ulster Unionist Party government. In the 1929 election, he unsuccessfully contested Belfast St Anne's. His loss can, in large part, be attributed to the abolition of proportional representation in February 1929, its replacement with a first-past-the-post system and the establishment of new electoral constituencies which divided his support base. Lacking a party machine, he also lost the Westminster election in Belfast South held eight days later.