# Bow and Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)

Bow and Bromley was a constituency in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Located in the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in London, it was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act for the 1885 general election and returned one Member of Parliament (MP) until it was abolished for the 1950 general election.

## History

The area had been part of the former two-seat Tower Hamlets constituency, which was divided at the 1885 general election.
The constituency was marginal before 1918. The party holding the seat changed in 1886, 1892, 1895, 1906, January 1910, December 1910 and 1912. After the extension of the franchise to all adult men and some women in 1918, the seat became a safe Labour seat from 1922.
George Lansbury was first elected in December 1910 as a Labour candidate. He was on the left-wing of the party and was known as a pacifist and supporter of votes for women. In November 1912, Lansbury resigned his seat so he could test public opinion on women's suffrage. He lost the subsequent by-election and did not regain the seat until 1922.
Lansbury was the only member of the cabinet of the Second Labour Ministry to both remain with the party and secure re-election at the 1931 general election. As the party leader Arthur Henderson was not in the House of Commons, Lansbury became Acting Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition. In 1932, Henderson resigned the leadership and Lansbury was elected leader in his place. He retained the leadership until 1935.

## Boundaries

In 1885 the area was administered as part of The Metropolis. It was located in the Tower division, in the east of the county of Middlesex. The neighbourhoods of Bow and Bromley were combined to form a division of the parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets. The parliamentary division was part of suburban East London. The Bromley in this seat is not the same place as Bromley in Kent after which the Bromley constituency, created in 1918, was named.
In 1889 the Tower division of Middlesex was severed from the county. It became part of the County of London. In 1900 the lower tier of local government in London was re-modelled. Bow and Bromley became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar.
When a re-distribution of parliamentary seats took place in 1918, the constituency became a division of Poplar. It comprised the wards of Bow Central, Bow North, Bow South, Bow West, Bromley North East, Bromley North West, and Bromley South West.

## Members of Parliament

* Constituency created (1885)
| Year | Member | Party |
| 1885 | William Robson | Liberal |
| 1886 | Sir John Colomb | Conservative |
| 1892 | John Macdonald | Liberal |
| 1895 | Lionel Holland | Conservative |
| 1899 | Walter Guthrie | Conservative |
| 1906 | Stopford Brooke | Liberal |
| 1910 Jan. | Alfred du Cros | Conservative |
| 1910 Dec. | George Lansbury | Labour |
| 1912 | Reginald Blair | Unionist |
| 1922 | George Lansbury | Labour |
| 1940 | Charles Key | Labour |
* Constituency abolished (1950)

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Robson | 3,419 | 55.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | John Colomb | 2,738 | 44.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 681 | 11.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,157 | 69.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,887 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Colomb | 2,967 | 55.3 | +10.8 |
| | Liberal | William Robson | 2,396 | 44.7 | −10.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 571 | 10.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,363 | 60.3 | −9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,887 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.8 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Macdonald | 4,072 | 52.7 | +8.0 |
| | Conservative | John Colomb | 3,649 | 47.3 | −8.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 423 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,721 | 72.2 | +11.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,687 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.0 | |
General election 1895: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lionel Holland | 4,339 | 57.7 | +10.4 |
| | Liberal | John Macdonald | 3,178 | 42.3 | −10.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,161 | 15.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,517 | 71.0 | −1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,588 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.4 | |
1899 Bow and Bromley by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Guthrie | 4,238 | 66.6 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal | Harold Spender | 2,123 | 33.4 | −8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,115 | 33.2 | +17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,361 | 55.8 | −15.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,401 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Guthrie | 4,403 | 63.3 | +5.6 |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | George Lansbury | 2,558 | 36.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,845 | 26.6 | +11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,961 | 61.7 | −9.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,278 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1906: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Stopford Brooke | 4,596 | 53.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Arthur du Cros | 3,974 | 46.4 | −16.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 622 | 7.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,570 | 81.3 | +19.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,545 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alfred du Cros | 3,695 | 41.9 | −4.5 |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 2,955 | 33.5 | New |
| | Liberal | Stopford Brooke | 2,167 | 24.6 | −29.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 740 | 8.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,817 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal |
General election December 1910: Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 4,315 | 55.6 | +22.1 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Leo Amery | 3,452 | 44.4 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 683 | 11.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,767 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.8 | |
1912 Bow and Bromley by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Reginald Blair | 4,042 | 55.1 | +10.7 |
| | Independent Labour | George Lansbury | 3,291 | 44.9 | −10.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 751 | 10.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,333 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +10.7 | |
General election 1918: Poplar, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Reginald Blair | 8,109 | 49.7 | −5.9 |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 7,248 | 44.3 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal | Mark Dalton | 988 | 6.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 861 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,436 | 48.9 | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | -2.4 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Poplar, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 15,402 | 64.1 | +19.8 |
| | Unionist | Geoffrey Duveen | 8,626 | 35.9 | −13.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,776 | 28.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,383 | 69.9 | +21.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,383 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +16.8 | |
General election 1923: Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 15,336 | 68.8 | +4.7 |
| | Unionist | Irving Albery | 6,941 | 31.2 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,395 | 37.6 | +9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,975 | 63.7 | −6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,975 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.7 | |
General election 1924: Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 15,740 | 61.6 | −7.2 |
| | Unionist | H.A. Hill | 9,806 | 38.4 | +7.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,934 | 23.2 | −14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,446 | 72.1 | +8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,446 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.2 | |
General election 1929: Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 20,119 | 69.4 | +7.8 |
| | Unionist | Albert Goodman | 8,852 | 30.6 | −7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,267 | 38.8 | +15.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,834 | 66.1 | −6.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,834 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Poplar, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 16,306 | 58.3 | −11.1 |
| | Conservative | D.L.R. Guthrie | 11,642 | 41.7 | +11.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,664 | 16.6 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,779 | 63.8 | −2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -11.1 | |
General election 1935: Poplar, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Lansbury | 19,064 | 77.0 | +18.7 |
| | Conservative | Harold Ernest Weber | 5,707 | 23.0 | −18.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,357 | 54.0 | +37.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,653 | 59.5 | −4.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +18.7 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

1940 Bow and Bromley by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Key | 11,594 | 95.8 | +18.8 |
| | Communist | Isabel Brown | 506 | 4.2 | new |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,088 | 91.6 | +37.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,324 | 32.4 | −27.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
General election 1945: Poplar, Bow and Bromley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Key | 10,982 | 84.1 | +7.1 |
| | Conservative | Charles Kenneth Duthie | 2,075 | 15.9 | −7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,907 | 68.2 | +14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,057 | 62.7 | +3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |