Before 1885 the city of
Birmingham, in the county of
Warwickshire, had been a three-member constituency (for further details, see
Birmingham constituency). Under the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the parliamentary borough of Birmingham was split into seven single-member divisions, one of which was Birmingham North. It consisted of the wards of St George's, St Mary's, and St Stephen's.
In the 1918 redistribution of parliamentary seats, the
Representation of the People Act 1918 provided for twelve new Birmingham divisions. The North division was abolished.
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;