Tag Archives: Conservative party

Sir Robert Peel and the modern Conservative party

Posted on February 5, 2020 by

Today (5 Feb) marks the birthday of Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850), the 19th century prime minister traditionally credited with founding the modern Conservative party. Peel is also subject of a new BBC ‘Prime Properties’ episode – click here to view … Continue reading →

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Conscience versus constituency: the dilemma facing Henry Sturt MP

Posted on March 29, 2019 by

The Victorian Commons, as some of our recent blogs have shown, was an important testing ground for many of the practices and parliamentary procedures that remain in place today. It also provides early examples of MPs having to grapple with … Continue reading →

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Lord Derby, ‘centre’ parties and minority government

Posted on December 7, 2018 by

150 years ago the Conservative prime minister Lord Derby retired from office, having managed to pass one of the most significant constitutional reform packages of the 19th century – despite leading a minority government. This post examines the career of … Continue reading →

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MP of the Month: Sir Philip de Malpas Grey-Egerton (1806-81)

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

Many of our recent ‘MP of the Month’ posts have focused on self-made men from non-élite backgrounds. Their numbers on the back benches and contribution to the practical business of Parliament (especially in committee) grew dramatically during the Victorian era. … Continue reading →

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Party Affiliation in the Reformed Commons, 1832-68

Posted on June 19, 2017 by

As the election results were declared in each constituency at this month’s general election, they were swiftly collated by the media to give an assessment of the overall balance of power within the new House of Commons. With each candidate’s … Continue reading →

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Minority governments and major change: a Victorian view

Posted on June 12, 2017 by

For most modern commentators the prospects for minority governments, based on the experience of the last half century or so, don’t look particularly good. Nearly all the recent examples currently being revisited by analysts, such as those of the 1970s, … Continue reading →

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MP of the month: James Barlow Hoy (1794-1843)

Posted on September 28, 2016 by

As biographies of long-forgotten politicians go, this month’s MP ticks all the boxes, offering an extraordinary rags-to-riches tale, the beginnings of a brilliant political career accompanied by fraud and bankruptcy, and even an allegation of murder. Hoy, or Barlow as … Continue reading →

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‘The sagacity of the elephant, as well as the form’: MP of the Month, George Ward Hunt (1825-77)

Posted on July 21, 2016 by

The recent rise of a certain parson’s daughter to the premiership provides a fitting opportunity to consider the unexpected ascent of a parson’s son to one of the great offices of state during the 1860s – George Ward Hunt, Conservative … Continue reading →

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A family affair: the Knightleys and Northamptonshire South, 1832-1868

Posted on March 30, 2016 by

The double-member county division of Northamptonshire South is often associated with the Spencer family, most notably Viscount Althorp (later the third Earl Spencer and older brother of Princess Diana’s great-great-grandfather), who played a key role in the reforming ministry of … Continue reading →

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