Lord Liverpool and the Liberal Tories

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Lord Liverpool and the Liberal Tories
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The Dawn of Change?

• From 1822 the nature of Liverpools government
  changed. The decline of the radical movement as
  the economy improved allowed the government to
  make some reforms. Although Liverpool was to
  remain as Prime Minister until 1827, his
  government was made up of younger men, more open
  to new ideas. However, historians have discussed
  whether 1822 really marked a turning point in
  British politics or whether repression was being
  eased before 1822.
• You can also be asked to assess how liberal were
  the liberal Tories?

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Changes in the Cabinet

• 1822 - Began after Castlereaghs suicide (who cut
  his throat with a pen knife in a fit of
  depression about his own unpopularity) - replaced
  by Canning - realized that there was a need for
  some limited reform.
• Supported by Liverpool and new members of the
  Cabinet.
• William Huskisson -President as Board of Trade
• Frederick Prosperity Robinson - Chancellor of
  the Exchequer
• Robert Peel - Home Secretary.
• Collectively this group became known as the
  Liberal Tories

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Contribution of Canning

• As Foreign Secretary Canning was able to assist
  economic recovery by achieving access to the
  profitable markets of South America (previously
  only accessible by the old colonial power Spain)
• Canning made Britain one of the first to
  recognise the independent states of Buenos Aires,
  Colombia and Mexico and thereby gained a trading
  advantage with them.
• Economic prosperity resulted in a decline in
  radicalism at home

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Liberal Tory Reforms

• Free Trade - Huskisson believed in free trade. In
  this Huskisson and Robinson were influenced by
  merchants and industrialists (the new middle
  class) who thought tariffs, duties and taxes on
  goods encouraged other countries to raise
  tariffs. Free traders believe that goods should
  be traded between countries without any duties or
  taxes being charged and that free trade would
  lead to more trade and therefore greater
  prosperity for everyone
• Examples
• 1822 Relaxed Navigation Acts these had
  prevented foreign ships from transporting goods
  between the British Empire and Britain other
  countries had retaliated with their own similar
  measures hurting British trade
• 1823 Reciprocity of Duties Act which stated
  that if a foreign country reduced any duty or tax
  on British goods entering their country Britain
  would do likewise i.e. Britain would reciprocate
• 1824 Duties rum, silk, wool, cotton, linen
  reduced
• 1825 More Duties reduced - Duties on all other
  goods fell from 50 to 20
• The result was British trade improved, the
  economy prospered and the cost of living fell.

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Peel at the Home Office

• A combination of pressure from humanitarians such
  as Elizabeth Fry and John Howard and a need for a
  more efficient system led Peel to make reforms.
  Peels achievement was to make English law more
  humane and more efficient
• 1824-6 Reform of the Penal Code. Death penalty
  abolished for the majority of crimes (previously
  you could be executed for a range of bizarre
  crimes, such as impersonating a Chelsea
  Pensioner, pick pocketing or damaging Westminster
  Bridge!). 100 capital offences removed. These
  reforms resulted in a more humane system and a
  system where criminals were more certain of being
  punished for crimes appropriately
• 1823 Jails (Gaols) Act - Gaolers to be paid by
  government and not the prisoners - separate gaols
  for men and women - some education for prisoners
  - prisons to be inspected. Before this Act
  prisons were unregulated, filthy and inhumane
  places.

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The Metropolitan Police

• As an essential counterpart to removing so many
  death penalties Peel founded the Metropolitan
  Police in 1829 the first proper police force in
  the UK.
• Before this law enforcement was in the hands of
  local watchmen, yeomanry and magistrates with
  industrialisation and massive population increase
  this was no longer working
• Peel set up the Met with a Commissioner at
  Scotland Yard in charge of 3,000 officers for
  London. The police were to be unarmed so as not
  to be accused of brutality. (This was a great
  improvement on Sidmouths spy system and a far
  more efficient way of keeping law and order)
• The Met quickly acquired the nickname of
  Peelers and later Bobbies (after Robert
  Peel), the latter sticking to this day.
• Crime dropped significantly in London causing by
  the 1830s many other regions to set up their own
  police authorities based on the Met model

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Trade Unions

• Trade Unions had been illegal since the
  Combination Acts of 1799.
• In the period 1815-22 the government might have
  seemed to be justified in this law. But the
  change of tone in government together with the
  improving economy led to a feeling that the
  Combination Acts were actually harming the
  economy. The Radical Francis Place was invited to
  organize a Parliamentary Committee which
  recommended scrapping the Laws in 1824.
• The result was a wave of strikes so an Amending
  Law restricting unions freedom to picket during
  strikes was passed 1825 but Trade Unions were now
  legal a very important step for the working
  class

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The Tories after Liverpool

• Liverpool suffered a stroke and resigned 1827
• Canning became PM but soon died
• Goderich took over but resigned 1828 -Wellington
  took over as PM
• But the ministry was not successful - the party
  split into
• Progressives or liberal Tories led by Huskisson
  and the Ultra Tories - who wanted no reform at
  all
• During this time there were three important
  pieces of legislation
• 1828 Modification of Corn Laws which slightly
  reduced the duty on imported corn
• 1828 Repeal of Test and Corporations Act which
  reformed the necessity to be Anglican in order to
  hold public office (be a member of the
  government) this allowed protestants that were
  not C of E to be M.Ps and members of the
  government
• 1829 The Catholic Relief Act (aka Catholic
  Emancipation) which allowed Catholics to become
  MPs, hold public office

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Catholic Emancipation

• Daniel OConnel backed by the Catholic
  Association, won an election in County Clare. As
  a Catholic he was not allowed to take his seat.
  If the situation were to be repeated across
  Ireland there would be chaos
• Wellington realised that the time had come for
  Catholic Emancipation.
• Reluctantly aided by Peel, he managed to get the
  Bill through Parliament.
• In doing so he split the Tory party even more.
• The Ultras left the ministry, and a weakened Tory
  Party did badly in the 1830 election, having to
  let the Whigs take power.

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Possible Exam Questions

• 1822 was a turning point in British politics.
  Discuss
• How liberal were the Liberal Tories?