David Lloyd George's Coalition Government had endured after the First World War winning the 1918 General Election. George's Liberals and the Conservatives, under Andrew Bonar Law, had been a successful partnership, so successful that many leading Conservatives connsidered leaving the Conservatives to join a new party Lloyd George was planning. One problem with this was the setting up of an Irish Free State in 1922 which was opposed by many Tories. Bonar Law had in fact resigned as Tory leader through ill health, plus the strain of having lost two sons in the war, but he was roused by the plans for a single party and urged Conservatives not to go down that route.
Law made a decisive speech at the Conservative Carlton Club which changed their minds and saved the Conservative party from extinction. Law further persuaded the Conservatives to end the coalition with Lloyd George's Liberals, and work as an independent party.
This withdrawal of their support forced Lloyd George to resign and the king asked Andrew Bonar Law to form a government. Bonar Law though went to the electorate on November 15th in an attempt to get a working majority of Conservatives.
The front page detailed here is from the Birmingham Gazette of 20th October 1922.
Donor Ref: '
LSH/ Birmingham Gazette 17th November 1922
(14/5596)'
Source:
Local Studies & History Department; Birmingham Central Library
Copyright information: Copyrights
to all resources are retained by the individual rights
holders. They have kindly made their collections available
for non-commercial private study & educational use.
Re-distribution of resources in any form is only permitted
subject to strict adherence to the guidelines in the Full
Terms and Conditions statement.
