10 JANUARY 1920, Page 3

In the Spen Valley by-election, the result of which was

declared last Saturday, Mr. Tom Myers, the Labour candidate, benefited by the division of the anti-Labour forces between Sir John Simon as an Independent Liberal and Colonel Fairfax as a Coalition Liberal, and won the seat. Mr. Myers polled 11,969 votes, Sir John Simon 10,244, and Colonel Fairfax 8,134. Labour thus polled about two votes out of five, and won by a minority vote. Lust December the late Sir Thomas Whittaker polled 10,064 votes to Mr. Myers's 8,508. The anti-Labour poll has thus increased far more than the Labour poll. We comment on the result elsewhere.