Westminster Abbey by-election, 1924

The Westminster Abbey by-election, 1924 was a parliamentary by-election held on 19 March 1924 for the British House of Commons constituency of Westminster Abbey in London. It was notable for the challenge of Winston Churchill to the party system.

The seat had become vacant when the Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) John Nicholson died on 21 February 1924. Nicholson had held the seat since a 1921 by-election.

Winston Churchill quickly announced his candidature. He had lost his seat of Dundee in the 1922 general election as a National Liberal follower of David Lloyd George. In 1923 following reconciliation between Lloyd George and H. H. Asquith at the 1923 general election he had stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate. He favoured the restoration of a coalition between Liberals and Unionists. He stood in the Westminster Abbey by-election as a "Constitutionalist" and received unofficial Unionist support. At first it seemed Churchill would be officially supported by the Unionists local organisation the Westminster Abbey Constitutional Association, but they decided to nominate their own candidate, Otho Nicholson, the nephew of the former member. The Labour Party selected Fenner Brockway. Churchill had hoped that his candidature might have been endorsed by Abbey Liberal Association or have received the backing of Liberal leader Asquith, but the local Liberals adopted John Scott Duckers. In fact Abbey Liberals stated that Scott Duckers name would only go forward if Churchill was a candidate. Churchill thus found his candidature opposed by candidates of all three main political parties.

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