Maxton Papers

Materials dating from Maxton's final years

An open letter to electors of Bridgeton Division, 1947

James Carmichael, a fellow Glaswegian and close friend and political ally of Maxton, was the last ILP candidate to win an election to Parliament when he stood in Maxton's former seat of Bridgeton following Maxton's death in 1946. The extent to which the ILP vote in Bridgeton was a result of Maxton's own popularity with the electorate of Bridgeton was shown in the result. Although Carmichael won, the ILP vote was down 32.1 % to 34.3 % with Labour coming a close second with 28.0 % of the vote.

A year after winning the by-election as a ILP candidate, James Carmichael, a lifelong member of the ILP, joined the Labour Party and represented his constituency in Parliament as a Labour MP. This infuriated the local branch of the ILP who regarded his actions as a betrayal of Maxton and his achievements as an ILP Member of Parliament for Bridgeton. A campaign was started by local ILP activists demanding Carmichael resign from the seat and call a by-election.

The poor strength of the party, at both local and national level, mixed with the large groundswell of support for the Labour Government's nationalisation and health measures, meant that this campaign fell on deaf ears. The electorate of Bridgeton, after 45 years of returning an ILP Member of Parliament, broke with tradition and returned a Labour MP for the first time in 1950. At this election the ILP vote had collapsed to 5.8 % and Labour's James Carmichael won the seat of Bridgeton with 59.4 % of the vote.

Source: Glasgow City Archives