It followed the death of Spencer Leigh Hughes and resignation of George Wardle, the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for Stockport. With the departure of both MPs, a single by-election was held for both seats. Always a rare occurrence in Britain, Stockport was the first such by-election since the 1899 Oldham by-election; it proved to be the last such by-election, as multi-member constituencies were abolished in 1950.