William Mabane and Huddersfield Politics, 1931–1947: 'By Any Other Name a Liberal'

Abstract

'William Mabane and Huddersfield Politics, 1931–1947: "By Any Other Name a Liberal"'. This article seeks to explore the impact of the split in the Liberal party's ranks in 1931–32 through a detailed case study of the constituency of Huddersfield. It suggests that Liberals and Liberal Nationals offered viable alternative versions of the Liberal creed, even though there were few examples before 1945 of the two groups confronting one another. In Huddersfield the sitting M.P., William Mabane, despite defecting to the Liberal Nationals, was largely successful in blurring the distinction between the groups and in sustaining at least a thread of unity between them. In the post-war era this would assist the process of Liberal reunion in Huddersfield, in contrast to the experience of most of the rest of the country. This, in turn, enabled Huddersfield to survive as an outpost of Liberal strength at a time when the party faced the very real prospect of extinction as a national political force.