The 1906 British General Election — Liberal Landslide, Labour’s Emergence

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The 1906 British General Election, held early in the year, saw a big change in the fortunes of the country’s two biggest parties — the Liberals and the Conservative/Liberal Unionists alliance.

Impact of Tariff Reform

One pivotal reason for the heavy defeat of the Conservatives and the Liberal Unionists was a fear by the general public of an increase in food prices. A prominent member of the Government, Joseph Chamberlain (Father of future prime minister Neville), had resigned over the issue and approved of Tariff Reform.

Chamberlain wanted duties placed on imports, which he thought would benefit Britain, as major countries such as Germany and the United States already had them in place. Opponents argued that the tariffs would benefit the rich, because they’d not have to pay so much tax, but that the working classes would have to pay more for food. The voters seemed swayed by the latter argument, as the Conservative and Liberal Unionists were easily defeated by the Liberal Party.

A giant of British politics, and three time prime minister, Lord Salisbury was no longer leader of the Conservative Party when the 1906 General Election was held. This was probably another factor in the crushing defeat for the Tories and Liberal Unionists. Liberal…