Hancock decided that he would rather defend his seat as a Liberal, so crossed the floor in 1915 to re-join the Liberals. During the war he combined with future Labour MP George Spencer to attempt to take the Nottinghamshire Miners Association out of the Miners Federation of Great Britain political fund.
Hancock decided to stick with his Liberal affiliation, so switched parties in 1915 to rejoin the Liberals. During the war, he partnered with future Labour MP George Spencer to try to detach the Nottinghamshire Miners Association from the Miners Federation of Great Britain's political fund.