National Party (UK, 1917)

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For the later party by the same name, see National Party (UK, 1976).

The National Party was a British political party created by Lord Ampthill, Sir Richard Cooper and Sir Henry Page Croft in 1917 as a right-wing split from the Conservative Party. Its members took a particularly xenophobic line on World War I and it was also strongly opposed to the sale of honours.

Several Conservative MPs joined the party, including Alan Burgoyne, Douglas George Carnegie, Cooper, Croft, Viscount Duncannon, Rowland Hunt and Richard Hamilton Rawson. Liberal Unionist Party MP Edward Fitzroy also joined, but most of the party's members rejoined the Conservatives before the 1918 UK general election. Its remaining candidates ran against the Lloyd George Coalition that year, both Cooper and Croft being elected.

The National Party held public meetings and petitioned the Prime Minister Lloyd George. Its policies included raising the conscription age to fifty and introducing conscription to Ireland, the closing of German banks and businesses in the UK, the internment of enemy aliens, a guaranteed price for home-grown cereals, protectionism for British industry and counter air-raids against German towns.

The close links the National Party alleged to exist between heads of companies and government departments which gave them contracts were attacked. On one occasion its offices in King Street were raided by the police.

The National party had policies to help the working class because they claimed "for if you wish for a patriotic race, you must aim at a contented people, reared under healthy conditions...and with full scope for advancement". One of its slogans was "no restriction in wages in return for no restriction of output".

Croft and Cooper were supported at the 1918 general election by the Earl of Bessborough, his son the Lord Duncannon, the Lord Leith of Fyvie and the Duke of Somerset. There were twenty-three National party candidates but only Cooper and Croft were returned to Parliament.

Occasionally it co-operated with the National Democratic and Labour Party.

In January 1921 the National party was disbanded but was revived under the new name of the National Constitutional Association which held conventions and co-operated with the 4th Marquess of Salisbury to help end the Lloyd George Coalition.