Coalition Liberals sometimes referred to as the Coalition Liberal Party was a political group that split from the Liberal Party following the replacement of H. H. Asquith as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by David Lloyd George in December 1916.
History The Liberal Split After leading a Liberal Minority government since January 1910 general election, by May 1915, with his conduct of the First World War facing heavy criticism (particularly the ongoing Gallipoli campaign and the Shell Crisis), Liberal leader H. H. Asquith felt forced to form a coalition government with the Conservatives and Labour.
Despite retaining the most important roles in the government, many Liberals were dismayed with the situation, with Charles Hobhouse writing, "The disintegration of the Liberal Party is complete. Ll.G. and his Tory friends will soon get rid of Asquith." While historian John Grigg would describe this coalition as a "notable victory for (Asquith), if not for the allied cause", nevertheless Asquith's attitude towards Tory leader Bonar Law would contribute to his eventual downfall.
By November 1916, relations between Asquith and the Conservative ministers had become strained so that after negotiations with Law, Opposition Leader Edward Carson and Secretary of State for War David Lloyd George to form a smaller "War Council" failed to reach an agreement and with Law and Lloyd George threatening to resign, Asquith tendered his resignation to the King on 5 December. The following day, with Law lacking any Liberal support, Lloyd George was invited to form a Government.
Asquith still controlled the party machinery and on 8 December a gathering of Liberal MPs gave Asquith a vote of confidence as Leader of the Liberal Party, followed unanimously a few days later by the executive of the National Liberal Federation, Most Liberal parliamentarians remained loyal to him, and as such most senior Liberals left the government to sit on the opposition benches.
While those supporting Lloyd George were still technically members of the Liberal Party, as the time progressed they began to be increasingly referred to as Coalition Liberals to distinguish them from the opposition Liberals led by Asquith.
1918 election
In the dying days of the War, Lloyd George and Law decided to continue the coalition after the end of the war. Confidential negotiations between Coalition Liberal Chief Whip, Freddie Guest, and George Younger, Chairman of the Conservative Party, over the summer of 1918, led to 150 Liberals being offered the support of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Conservative Party at the next general election.K O Morgan, Lloyd George's Stage Army: The Coalition Liberals, 1918–1922 in A J P Taylor (ed.) Lloyd George: Twelve Essays; Hamish Hamilton, 1971 p227 The two leaders agreed to issue a letter to a single government supporter in most constituencies for the 1918 general election, which thus became known as the 'coupon election'. Not all loyal MPs got the coupon and some who were offered it rejected the support.
Three days after the Armistice of 11 November 1918 ended hostilities, it was announced that Parliament, which had been sitting since December 1910, would dissolve on 25 November, with a general election set for 14 December.
The coalition would win the general election in a landside, winning 521 out of the 707 seats, however the Conservatives won more than double the number won by the Coalition Liberals. The non coalition Liberals (who had used the label "Independent Liberal" at the election) suffered a catastrophic defeat, with only 36 MPs elected and Asquith himself losing his seat.
National Liberals
With any reconciliation with the main Liberal Party growing increasingly less likely as time went on and needing a party infrastructure to fight future elections, Lloyd George came to believe he need to formalize the Coalition Liberals into a new party. A meeting was held in London on 18–19 January 1922 and a new National Liberal Party was formed, with Lloyd George as leader and Secretary of State for the Colonies Winston Churchill as deputy.
Electoral performance National vote +Parliament of the United KingdomElectionLeaderVotesSeatsGovernmentNo.%PositionNo.±Position 1918 David Lloyd George 1,396,590 12.6 4th 28 2nd
Welsh results The results in the county and borough constituencies in Wales.
Constituency Candidate Votes (%) Position Aberavon John Edwards 13,635 62.8 1 Anglesey Ellis Ellis-Griffith 8,898 49.6 2 Bedwellty William Henry Williams 10,170 46.4 2 Brecon and Radnorshire Sidney Robinson Unopposed 1 Caernarvon Boroughs David Lloyd George 13,993 92.7 1 Caernarvonshire Charles Breese 10,488 44.5 1 Cardiganshire Matthew Vaughan-Davies Unopposed 1 Carmarthen John Hinds Unopposed 1 Denbigh David Davies 14,773 83.3 1 Flintshire Tom Parry Unopposed 1 Llanelly Towyn Jones 16,344 53.1 1 Merthyr Edgar Jones 14,127 52.7 1 Neath Hugh Edwards 17,818 64.8 1 Newport Lewis Haslam 14,080 56.4 1 Pembrokeshire Evan Davies Jones 19,200 69.8 1 Pontypridd Thomas Arthur Lewis 13,327 56.1 1 Swansea East Jeremiah Williams 11,071 63.6 1 Swansea West Alfred Mond 8,579 40.0 1 Wrexham Robert Thomas 20,874 76.3 1 Welsh Total 19 Candidates 207,377 39.2 17 MPs
The results in the University of Wales constituency.
Constituency Candidate Votes (%) Position University of Wales Herbert Lewis 739 80.8 1 Total 1 Candidate 739 80.8 1 MP
Scotland results The results in the county and borough constituencies in Scotland.
Constituency Candidate Votes (%) Position Aberdeen North Duncan Pirie 5,918 49.1 2 Argyllshire William Sutherland 11,970 81.4 1 Banffshire Charles Barrie Unopposed 1 Berwick and Haddington John Hope 8,584 53.9 1 Caithness and Sutherland Leicester Harmsworth 6,769 62.6 1 Dumbarton Burghs John Taylor 11,734 52.6 1 Dundee Winston Churchill 25,788 37.5 1 Dunfermline Burghs John Wallace 6,886 44.6 1 Aberdeen and Kincardine East Henry Cowan 4,430 50.5 1 East Renfrewshire Joseph Johnstone 13,107 72.2 1 Edinburgh Central Joseph Dobbie 6,797 48.7 2 Galloway Gilbert McMicking Unopposed 1 Glasgow Bridgeton MacCallum Scott 10,887 55.2 1 Glasgow Cathcart John Pratt 16,310 76.9 1 Glasgow Partick Robert Balfour 12,156 70.2 1 Inverness Thomas Morison 7,991 73.2 1 Kilmarnock Alexander Shaw 13,568 73.2 1 Kirkcaldy Burghs Henry Dalziel Unopposed 1 Montrose Burghs John Sturrock 9,309 76.0 1 Moray and Nairn Archibald Williamson Unopposed 1 Orkney and Shetland Cathcart Wason Unopposed 1 Perth William Young Unopposed 1 Ross and Cromarty Ian Macpherson 8,358 78.9 1 Roxburgh and Selkirk Robert Munro 13,043 70.1 1 Rutherglen Adam Keir Rodger 12,641 59.1 1 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Arthur Murray Unopposed 1 West Renfrewshire James Greig 11,524 61.8 1 Western Isles William Cotts 3,375 42.5 2 Scottish Total 28 Candidates 221,145 19.6 25 MPs
The results in the Combined Scottish Universities constituency.
Constituency Candidate Votes (%) Position Combined Scottish Universities Dugald Cowan 3,499 27.0 (1 of 3) Total 1 Candidate 3,499 27.0 1 MP
Leadership history
Leaders of the Coalition Liberals
Name(Birth–Death) Portrait Constituency Entered office Left officeDavid Lloyd George(1863–1945) Carnarvon Boroughs 6 December 1916 19 January 1922
Chief Whip of the Coalition Liberals Name(Birth–Death) Portrait Constituency Entered office Left officeNeil Primrose(1882–1917) Wisbech 14 December 1916 2 March 1917Freddie Guest(1875–1937) East Dorset 2 March 1917 1 April 1921Charles McCurdy(1870–1941) Northampton 1 April 1921 19 January 1922
Bibliography The History of the Liberal Party 1895–1970, by Roy Douglas (Sidgwick & Jackson 1971) A Short History of the Liberal Party 1900–92, by Chris Cook (Macmillan Press 1993)
References