United Kingdom general election, 1906

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 73 candidates stood unopposed.

This election was a landslide defeat for the Conservative Party and their Liberal Unionist allies, 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 of 125 seats over all other parties led to the passing of social legislation known as the Liberal reforms. This was the last election in which the Liberals won an absolute majority in the House of Commons, and also the last election in which the Liberals won an absolute majority share of the popular vote.

Results

Voting summary

Seats summary

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