Baldwin beckons

11 May 2010 By Martin Hutchinson

Britain’s last coalition of Conservatives and Liberals was the 1931 National Government. Its foreign policy went wrong, but its economic policy was remarkably successful. The same alliance today could offer a similar majority of voters behind tough economic decisions.

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In the UK general election held on May 6, the Conservative Party won 305 seats, the Labour Party won 258 seats, the Liberal Democrats 57 seats and other parties 28 seats.

The 1931 National Government was formed after the resignation of the minority Labour government on 24 August, 1931. In the October, 1931 General Election it won 67.2 percent of the votes and 556 of the 615 seats, of which 473 were Conservative (led by Stanley Baldwin, Lord President of the Council with Neville Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer), 35 Liberal National (led by Sir John Simon, Foreign Secretary) 33 Liberal (led by Herbert Samuel, Home Secretary), 13 National Labour (led by Ramsay Macdonald, Prime Minister) and 4 National.

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