Liberal Unionist Party

"Liberal Unionist" redirects here. For the Canadian party, see Liberal-Unionist.
Liberal Unionist Party
Leaders
Founded1886 (1886)
Dissolved1912 (1912)
Split fromLiberal Party
Merged intoConservative and Unionist Party
HeadquartersLondon, England
Ideology
Political positionCentre[1]

The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule. The two parties formed the ten-year-long coalition Unionist Government 1895–1905 but kept separate political funds and their own party organisations until a complete merger between the Liberal Unionist and the Conservative parties was agreed to in May 1912.[2][3]

  1. ^ Blaxill, Luke (2016). "Opposition to Irish Home Rule". In Huzzey, Richard; Childs, Mike (eds.). Campaigning for Change: Lessons from History. London. p. 106. Having two parties and two sets of leaders allowed the Unionists to appeal to a broader group of voters and remain anchored in the political centre.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Wesley Ferris, "The Liberal Unionist Party, 1886–1912"" (PhD dissertation, McMaster University, 2008.
  3. ^ Ian Cawood, The Liberal Unionist Party: A History (2012)