Everything about United Kingdom General Election 1931 totally explained
The
UK general election on Tuesday
27 October 1931 was the last in the
United Kingdom not held on a
Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under
universal suffrage, where one party (the Conservatives) received an absolute majority of the votes cast.
The 1931 general election was held in the middle of the
Great Depression, and by 1931
Ramsay MacDonald's
Labour government had reached a deadlock over a response to the crisis. Influential members of the Labour Cabinet, such as
Arthur Henderson, were not willing to support the budget cuts advised by the civil service, while the Chancellor, Phillip Snowden refused to consider deficit spending or tariffs. MacDonald was then encouraged to form an all-party
National Government to deal with the financial crisis. The Conservatives stated that the new government should seek a mandate from the electorate.
MacDonald's decision before the election to form a coalition with the
Conservatives saw him expelled from the Labour Party. He was replaced as leader by Henderson. MacDonald and a small group of supporters then formed the
National Labour Party. The Labour split persuaded MacDonald that a quick election was necessary.
The
Liberals opposed the calling of an election and Liberal leader
David Lloyd George urged his colleagues to withdraw from the National Government. However, the majority of Liberals, led by Sir
Herbert Samuel decided to remain within it. Complicating matters further a group of Liberal MPs emerged as the "Liberal Nationals" who urged full support for the National Government and expressed a willingness to fill any vacancies created by the resignations of other Liberals and maintain the multi-party nature of the government.
A main issue was the Conservatives' wish to introduce
protectionist trade policies. This not only divided the government from the opposition but also divided the parties in the National Government. The
Liberal Nationals under
Sir John Simon supported the Conservative protectionist trade policies. The Liberals led by Samuel and Lloyd George campaigned in defence of
free trade.
In the event, the Labour vote fell sharply, and the Conservatives, led by
Stanley Baldwin, won a landslide majority of 324 seats, although Ramsay MacDonald remained
Prime Minister in the new National government. The Liberals lacked the funds to contest the full range of seats, but still won almost as many constituencies as the Labour Party.
Results
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