Passage of the Great Reform Act

1830 The Whigs came to power in 1830 as a result of the Tory revenge on Wellington committed to a measure of parliamentary reform. Their commitment was however to a modest measure not full blown democracy They were backed by industrialists and traders whom they promised to enfranchise. They were also committed to getting rid of the worst abuses of the old system

Who were the Whigs? Earl Grey (PM) and by 1830 an elderly nobleman Viscount Palmerston (an ex-Tory) Foreign Secretary Lord Brougham (a more radical Whig keen on reform) Lord Chancellor Lord Melbourne (a keen reformer) Home Secretary Lord John Russell (an enthusiast for parliamentary reform) Paymaster of the Forces and Leader of the House of Commons With such men in leading positions moderate change was expected

The Great Reform Bill The Great Reform Bill was first introduced to the House of Commons in March 1831 and passed its second reading by one vote. At committee stage (when clauses of bill are scrutinised one of one and amendments allowed) the bill was defeated. Grey resigned and asked the King to dissolve Parliament – at the subsequent election the Whigs were returned to government with a large majority of 136. A slightly amended reform bill was introduced, passed through all its stages in the Commons, was presented to the House of Lords in October 1831 who promptly threw it out.

Agitation for the Bill Widespread demonstrations now occurred throughout the country – there were pro-Reform Bill riots in Bristol, London and the Midlands. A third Bill was introduced by the Whigs in December 1831 – again it passed through its three readings in the Commons and this time got as far as third reading in the Lords (committee stage). At this point the Lords tried delaying tactics. Grey asked the King to create 50 new Lords to push the Bill through, the King refused and the government resigned again!

Return of Wellington Running short of options the King then asked Wellington to try and form a government in the hope that the ‘iron duke’ would be able to get some sort of watered down version of the reform bill through Parliament. At this prospect there was a a mass of agitation in the country against Wellington and the Tories and for the ‘whole bill’ Radicals organised both an income tax strike and a run on the banks by encouraging everyone to withdraw their savings deposits. With Revolution staring him in the face Wellington and the King retreated and within a week the Whigs and Grey were back in power on their own terms. Wellington instructed Tory Lords not to resist the bill any further and the King promised to create enough new Whig lords to get it through anyway. The Great reform Act finally became law in May 1832 after over a year of bitter struggle

So What Changed? Not much! The franchise (who could vote) was made more uniform and the electorate extended by about 250,000 voters most of whom were middle class – only about 1:7 adult males had the vote after the Reform Act 56 rotten and pocket boroughs were abolished 30 slightly less rotten boroughs lost one MP Industrial towns such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield got MPs for the first time but the constituencies were still very far from equal Open boroughs were abolished so some working men lost the vote Open voting remained and therefore so did electoral bribery and bullying There was still a high property qualification to be an MP Despite a few more radical M.P’s the landed aristocracy still held sway in Parliament

So Why is it called the GREAT Reform Act? It was the first of its kind – it was a beginning – a first step towards democracy The old Tory argument that the British Constitution was an organic living thing which could be killed if pruned had been proven false. The GRA gave the new middle class a share of power and paved the way for a series of social reforms by the Whigs. The GRA changed the Tory Party for good – by 1835 they were relaunched as the ‘Conservatives’ no longer resistant to all change or reform as a matter of principle