The 'United Kingdom general election of 1906' was held from
12 January to
8 February 1906.
The
Liberals, led by sitting minority Prime Minister
Henry Campbell-Bannerman, won a large majority in the election. The
Conservatives under
Arthur Balfour lost more than half their seats, while the
Labour Representation Committee was far more successful than in
1900 and after the election would be reformed as "
The Labour Party" with 29 MPs and
Keir Hardie as leader. The
Irish Parliamentary Party, led by
John Redmond, achieved its seats with a relatively low number of votes, as 74 candidates stood unopposed.
This election was a landslide defeat for the Conservative Party, with the primary reason given by historians as the party's weakness after its split over the issue of
free trade (
Joseph Chamberlain had resigned from government in September 1903 in order to campaign for
Tariff Reform, which would allow 'preferential tariffs'). Many working class people saw this as a threat to the price of food, hence the debate was nicknamed 'Big Loaf, Little Loaf'. The Liberals' landslide victory led to the passing of social legislation known as the
Liberal reforms.
Results
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See also
★
MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906
★
The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918
External links
:
1906 Conservative manifesto
:
1906 Labour manifesto
:
1906 Liberal manifesto
References
★
F. W. S. Craig, ''British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987''
★
Spartacus: Political Parties and Election Results
★
United Kingdom election results - summary results 1885-1979