# Frank Briant

Frank Briant (30 November 1865 – 1 September 1934) was a radical British Liberal Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lambeth North. In addition, he represented Lambeth on the London County Council and was a leading member of Lambeth Borough Council.

## Background

He was born in Kennington to William and Susannah Briant. He started work as a civil servant. In 1887, he started working at the Alford House Institute for Workingmen and Lads. In religion, he was a Congregationalist.

## Political career

He served for 10 years as Chairman of the Lambeth Board of Guardians. He was a Justice of the peace for London. He was a member of Lambeth Borough Council, the London County Council and the House of Commons. He was first elected to Lambeth Council and was elected Chairman of the Council in 1899, a position he held for twenty years. He was elected as a Progressive Party member to the London County Council in 1905 representing Lambeth North. He served as both a borough and county councillor through to the end of World War I. In 1912, he was selected as the Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate for Lambeth North but due to the outbreak of war; had to wait until the 1918 general election. He was comfortably re-elected to the LCC in 1913 suggesting that he may well have gained the parliamentary seat in a 1915 general election;
London County Council election, 1913: Lambeth North Electorate 7,582 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Progressive | Y Frank Briant | 2,370 |
| | Municipal Reform | Y Louis Courtauld | 2,118 |
| | Municipal Reform | W. Gough-Cook | 2,105 |
| | Labour | Francis Samuel Smith | 2,037 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | |
| | Progressive hold | Progressive hold | Swing |
| | Municipal Reform gain from Labour | Municipal Reform gain from Labour | Swing |
Despite his Unionist opponent receiving the 'coupon' letter of support from the Coalition Government he gained the seat from the Unionists. His election was one of only a handful of gains made by the Liberals at these elections.
General election 1918: Lambeth North Electorate 28,777 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frank Briant | 7,326 | 62.3 | +15.8 |
| | Coalition Conservative | Sir William Henry Houghton Gastrell | 4,441 | 37.7 | −15.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,885 | 24.6 | 31.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.9 | −32.6 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.8 | |
In 1919, due to the commencement of his parliamentary career, he stood down from the Chairmanship of Lambeth Council, and retired from the London County Council.
He retained his seat in the House of Commons at every subsequent election
General election 1922: Lambeth North Electorate 30,320 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frank Briant | 8,132 | 43.1 | −19.2 |
| | Conservative | Ernest Roy Bird | 7,362 | 39.1 | +1.4 |
| | Labour | Barbara Bodichon Ayrton-Gould | 3,353 | 17.8 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 770 | 4.0 | −20.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 62.2 | +21.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -10.3 | |
General election 1923: Lambeth North Electorate 31,146 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frank Briant | 9,036 | 48.5 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative | Ernest Roy Bird | 5,509 | 29.6 | −9.5 |
| | Labour | F. Hughes | 4,089 | 21.9 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,527 | 18.9 | +14.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.8 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +7.5 | |
General election 1924: Lambeth North Electorate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frank Briant | 7,943 | 37.2 | −11.3 |
| | Labour | George Russell Strauss | 7,914 | 37.1 | +15.2 |
| | Conservative | J. Lazarus | 5,488 | 25.7 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29 | 0.1 | −18.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,866 | 67.0 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -13.3 | |
During the 1924–29 parliament which was dominated by a Unionist majority, Briant worked closely with a group of radical Liberal MPs that included William Wedgwood Benn, Percy Harris, Joseph Kenworthy and Horace Crawfurd to provide opposition to the government. He lost his seat to Labour in the 1929 General Election
General election 1929: Lambeth North Electorate 38,815 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Russell Strauss | 11,264 | 43.8 | +6.7 |
| | Liberal | Frank Briant | 10,722 | 41.8 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | Clyde Tabor Wilson | 3,691 | 14.4 | −11.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 542 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 66.2 | −0.8 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.1 | |
In 1931 he returned to municipal politics and was re-elected to the London County Council again representing Lambeth North. Later that year he regained his Lambeth North seat in the House of Commons, defeating the Labour candidate at the 1931 General Election
General election 1931: Lambeth North Electorate 38,923 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frank Briant | 16,368 | 65.1 | +23.3 |
| | Labour | George Russell Strauss | 8,766 | 34.9 | −8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,602 | 30.2 | 32.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 64.6 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +16.1 | |
He remained a London County Councillor up until the Match 1934 elections. He continued to represent Lambeth North in the House of Commons until his death. He died on 1 September 1934 at the Alford House Institute for Workingmen and Lads of which he had been the superintendent for 47 years.