Bedford by-election, 1921

The Bedford by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Bedford on 23 April 1921.

The by-election was caused by the appointment of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford, Frederick Kellaway, to the office of Postmaster General. Under the Parliamentary procedures of the day, he was obliged to resign his seat and fight a by-election.

Kellaway, who was originally a journalist by profession, had first been elected as Liberal MP for Bedford at the general election of December 1910, narrowly beating the sitting Unionist member, Walter Annis Attenborough. After 1916, Kellaway supported the Coalition government of David Lloyd George and held ministerial office at the Ministry of Munitions and as Secretary for Overseas Trade. At the 1918 general election he was awarded the Coalition coupon and easily held his seat in a straight fight with an Independent candidate. He was again described as a Coalition Liberal for the by-election and was supported by both local Liberals and Unionists.

He was opposed for Labour by Frederick Fox Riley, an assistant secretary of the Union of Post Office Workers. Riley stood for Parliament a number of times for Labour and was later MP for from 1929-31.

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