England Objects to the Treaty of Versailles, June 1, 1919

Journal of Liberal History

On This Day

07 August 1940

Harcourt Johnstone is elected MP for Middlesborough West

As part of the wartime political truce the other political parties did not contest what was a Liberal held seat and he was returned unopposed, succeeding Frank Kingsley Griffiths who had vacated the seat to become a high court judge. He had previously been MP for Willesden East (1923-24) and South Shields (1931-35). Johnstone was already a government minister despite being out of parliament, serving as Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade. He held the seat until his death in 1945.