As the 1900 general election approached, Ellery made a confident forecast, in the Practical Teacher, that both the NUT members of Parliament would be re-elected. This time Gray was faced by J.H. Bethell, the former Mayor of West Ham; Yoxall by Sir Lepel Griffin, the ex-arbiter of the destinies of Afghanistan. To speculate on Macnamara's chances at North Camberwell was riskier. In 1885 and 1892 a Liberal member had been returned, in 1886 and 1895 a Conservative. Major Dalbiac, the retiring member, had been popular. Had he remained, Ellery thought, he would have been a hard nut to crack. But the new Conservative candidate was J. R. Diggle, Macnamara's old antagonist at the London School Board. Locally, Liberal and Conservative were considered to be evenly matched. The Conservative South London Observer and Camberwell and Peckham Times declared that

Macnamara was well satisfied to compete against Diggle. Afterwards he told his colleagues on the NUT Executive that he had been fortunate in many things but perhaps most fortunate in his opponent.