Second Asquith ministry

H. H. Asquith formed the Second Asquith Ministry, a wartime coalition government, in the aftermath of the Gallipoli disaster in 1915, by bringing in the Conservatives to shore up his government. The Conservatives were not pleased with the offices they received in this new government and Tory leader Bonar Law became dissatisfied with Asquith and the Liberals' conduct of affairs. The government collapsed as a result of the resignation of the Conservatives, who refused to serve any longer under Asquith. Asquith and most of the Liberals then moved into opposition, while the Conservatives formed a new coalition with a minority of the Liberals, under the leadership of Liberal David Lloyd George in 1916.

List of Ministers

Members of the Cabinet are listed in bold.

OfficeNameDatePartyNotes
Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury
and Leader of the House of Commons
H. H. Asquith25 May 1915 – 5 December 1916Liberal 
Chancellor of the ExchequerReginald McKenna25 May 1915Liberal 
Parliamentary Secretary to the TreasuryJohn Gulland30 May 1915 – 5 December 1916LiberalJoint Government Chief Whips in the House of Commons
Lord Edmund Talbot30 May 1915 – 5 December 1916Conservative
Financial Secretary to the TreasuryEdwin Samuel Montagu26 May 1915Liberalentered cabinet 16 January 1916
Thomas McKinnon Wood9 July 1916Liberal 
Junior Lords of the TreasuryGeoffrey Howard30 May 1915 – 5 December 1916Liberal 
George Henry Roberts30 May 1915 – 5 December 1916Labour 
William Bridgeman30 May 1915 – 5 December 1916Conservative 
Walter Rea30 May 1915 – 5 December 1916Liberal 
Lord ChancellorThe Lord Buckmaster25 May 1915Liberal 
Lord President of the Council
and Leader of the House of Lords
The Marquess of Crewe25 May 1915Liberal 
Lord Privy SealThe Earl Curzon of Kedleston25 May 1915Conservative 
Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentSir John Simon25 May 1915Liberal 
Herbert Samuel10 January 1916Liberal 
Under-Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentWilliam Brace30 May 1915Labour 
Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsSir Edward Grey25 May 1915Liberalcreated Viscount Grey of Fallodon 27 July 1916
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsLord Robert Cecil30 May 1915Conservativein cabinet 23 February 1916
Secretary of State for the ColoniesAndrew Bonar Law25 May 1915Conservative 
Under-Secretary of State for the ColoniesArthur Steel-Maitland30 May 1915Conservative 
Secretary of State for WarThe Earl Kitchener25 May 1915  
David Lloyd George6 July 1916Liberal 
Under-Secretary of State for WarHarold Tennant30 May 1915Liberal 
The Earl of Derby6 July 1916Conservative 
Financial Secretary to the War OfficeHenry Forster30 May 1915Conservative 
Secretary of State for IndiaAusten Chamberlain25 May 1915Conservative 
Under-Secretary of State for IndiaThe Lord Islington30 May 1915Liberal 
First Lord of the AdmiraltyArthur Balfour25 May 1915Conservative 
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the AdmiraltyThomas James Macnamara30 May 1915Liberal 
Civil Lord of the AdmiraltyThe Duke of Devonshire9 June 1915Conservativealso Joint Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords
The Earl of Lytton26 July 1916Conservative 
President of the Board of Agriculture and FisheriesThe Earl of Selborne25 May 1915Conservative 
The Earl of Crawford11 July 1916Conservative 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and FisheriesFrancis Dyke Acland30 May 1915Liberal 
Minister of BlockadeLord Robert Cecil23 February 1916Conservative 
President of the Board of EducationArthur Henderson25 May 1915Labour 
The Marquess of Crewe18 August 1916Liberalalso Leader of the House of Lords
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of EducationHerbert Lewis30 May 1915Liberal 
President of the Local Government BoardWalter Long25 May 1915Conservative 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government BoardWilliam Fisher30 May 1915Conservative 
Chief Secretary for IrelandAugustine Birrell25 May 1915 – 3 May 1916Liberal 
Henry Duke31 July 1916Conservative 
Vice President of the Department of Agriculture for IrelandThomas Russell30 May 1915Liberal 
Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterWinston Churchill25 May 1915Liberal 
Herbert Samuel25 November 1915Liberal 
Edwin Samuel Montagu11 January 1916Liberal 
Thomas McKinnon Wood9 July 1916Liberal 
Minister of MunitionsDavid Lloyd George25 May 1915Liberal 
Edwin Samuel Montagu9 July 1916Liberal 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of MunitionsChristopher Addison30 May 1915 – 8 December 1916Liberal 
Arthur Lee11 November 1915 – 9 July 1916Conservative 
Paymaster-GeneralThe Lord Newton9 June 1915Conservative 
Arthur Henderson18 August 1916Labour 
Minister without PortfolioThe Marquess of Lansdowne25 May 1915Conservative 
Postmaster-GeneralHerbert Samuel26 May 1915Liberal 
Joseph Pease18 January 1916Liberal 
Assistant Postmaster-GeneralHerbert Pease30 May 1915Conservative 
Secretary for ScotlandThomas McKinnon Wood25 May 1915Liberal 
Harold Tennant9 July 1916Liberal 
President of the Board of TradeWalter Runciman25 May 1915Liberal 
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of TradeE. G. Pretyman30 May 1915Conservative 
First Commissioner of WorksLewis Harcourt25 May 1915Liberal 
Attorney-GeneralSir Edward Carson25 May 1915Conservative 
Sir F. E. Smith3 November 1915Conservative 
Solicitor-GeneralSir F. E. Smith2 June 1915Conservative 
Sir George Cave8 November 1915Conservative 
Lord AdvocateRobert Munro8 June 1915Liberal 
Solicitor General for ScotlandThomas Brash Morison8 June 1915Liberal 
Attorney General for IrelandJohn Gordon8 June 1915Conservative 
James Campbell9 April 1916Conservative 
Solicitor General for IrelandJames O'Connor8 June 1915Irish Nationalist 
Lord Steward of the HouseholdThe Lord Farquhar9 June 1915Conservative 
Lord Chamberlain of the HouseholdThe Lord Sandhurst9 June 1915Liberal 
Vice-Chamberlain of the HouseholdCecil Beck30 May 1915Liberal 
Master of the HorseThe Earl of Chesterfield9 June 1915Liberal 
Treasurer of the HouseholdJames Hope30 May 1915Conservative 
Comptroller of the HouseholdCharles Henry Roberts30 May 1915Liberal 
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-ArmsThe Lord Colebrooke9 June 1915Liberalalso Joint Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Captain of the Yeomen of the GuardThe Lord Suffield9 June 1915Conservative 
Lords in WaitingThe Lord Herschell9 June 1915Liberal 
The Viscount Allendale9 June 1915Liberal 
The Lord Stanmore9 June 1915Liberal 
The Lord Ranksborough9 June 1915Liberal 
The Viscount Valentia9 June 1915Conservative 
The Lord Hylton9 June 1915ConservativeJoint Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords from 26 July 1916

References

Preceded by
First Asquith Ministry
Government of the United Kingdom
1915–1916
Succeeded by
Lloyd George Ministry
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