Lloyd George and Welsh Politics after 1918

Abstract

Just as the election of 1922 was a turning-point for British politics, so it was a watershed for Wales and for Lloyd George, who had dominated Welsh politics for many years. If the Conservatives had not obtained a majority in 1922, they would have had the option of approaching either Asquith or Lloyd George for support; but part of Lloyd George’s bargaining power and prestige rested on his predominant position in Wales. Even without strong Welsh support, Lloyd George would have been a significant force in British politics, but without a Welsh stronghold, he was less likely to return to office quickly. Yet even before his fall, much of Wales had started to drift from him. The results of the 1922 election confirmed this drift. In 1918 nearly every successful candidate in Wales had run under his banner, or at least had not opposed him openly. In 1922 the Lloyd George Liberals took only 7 of the 36 Welsh seats,* and although he remained by far the most important Welsh political figure, the ex-premier was unable to use Wales as Joseph Chamberlain had used Birmingham, as a base for wielding national power. Forty years later K. O. Morgan wrote of him that ‘even in his own country, he may be a prophet without honour’.1KeywordsMining DistrictLiberal PartyLocal PartySafe SeatHome RuleThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.