1818 United Kingdom general election

none September 2026 May 2014 1818 United Kingdom general election United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland parliamentary no 1812 United Kingdom general election 1812 List of MPs elected in the 1812 United Kingdom general election 1820 United Kingdom general election 1820 All 658 seats in the House of Commons 330 List of MPs elected in the 1818 United Kingdom general election 17 June – 18 July 1818https://thehistoryofparliament.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/the-general-election-of-1818/ The General Election of 1818 Kathryn Rix 18 June 2018 File:Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_(1769-1830)_-_Robert_Banks_Jenkinson_(1770-1828),_2nd_Earl_of_Liverpool_-_RCIN_404930_-_Royal_Collection_(cropped).jpg 160x160px Earl of Liverpool 8 June 1812 Tory (Pittite) 280 File:_Grey2_(cropped).jpg 160x160px Earl Grey — Whigs (British political party) 175 Prime Minister Prime Minister after election Earl of Liverpool Tory Party (UK) Earl of Liverpool Tory Party (UK) 120 21 399 196 1818 UK GE composition diagram.svg Composition of the House of Commons after the election The 1818 United Kingdom general election was the 5th general election after the Acts of Union 1800, held on 17 June 1818 to 18 July 1818. It saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats. The Whigs were divided over their response to growing social unrest and the introduction of the Corn Laws. The fifth United Kingdom Parliament was dissolved on 10 June 1818. The new Parliament was summoned to meet on 4 August 1818, for a maximum seven-year term from that date. The maximum term could be and normally was curtailed, by the monarch dissolving the Parliament, before its term expired. The sixth Parliament lasted only about a year and a half, as King George III's death on 29 January 1820 triggered a dissolution of Parliament. none 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 Political situation The Tory leader was the Earl of Liverpool, who had been prime minister since his predecessor's assassination in 1812. The Tory Leader of the House of Commons was Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh. The Whig Party had long suffered from weak leadership, particularly in the House of Commons. At the time of the general election, the Earl Grey was the leading figure amongst the Whig peers. The last Whig Prime Minister, the Lord Grenville, had retired from active politics in 1817. It was likely that Earl Grey would have been invited to form a government, had the Whigs come to power, although in this era the monarch rather than the governing party decided which individual would be prime minister. The Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, until his death in 1817, was George Ponsonby, Lady Grey's uncle. About a year after Ponsonby's death, George Tierney reluctantly became the recognised Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. However, after 1819 he did not carry out the functions of leader although he retained the title. Summary of the constituencies Key to categories in the following tables: BC – Borough/Burgh constituencies, CC – County constituencies, UC – University constituencies, Total C – Total constituencies, BMP – Borough/Burgh Members of Parliament, CMP – County Members of Parliament, UMP – University Members of Parliament. Monmouthshire (1 County constituency with 2 MPs and one single member Borough constituency) is included in Wales in these tables. Sources for this period may include the county in England. Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and country Country BC CC UC Total C BMP CMP UMP Total MPsEngland202392243404784486Wales 180713130261314027Scotland15300451530045Ireland333216635641100Total26311433804671765658 Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country Country BCx1 BCx2 BCx4 CCx1 CCx2 UCx1 UCx2 Total CEngland4196203902243Wales 180713001210026Scotland15003000045Ireland31200321066Total631982427212380 See also United Kingdom general elections References His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830, by Archibald S. Foord (Oxford University Press 1964) (Dates of Elections) Footnote to Table 5.02 British Electoral Facts 1832–1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (Ashgate Publishing Ltd 2000). (Types of constituencies – Great Britain) British Historical Facts 1760–1830, by Chris Cook and John Stevenson (The Macmillan Press 1980). (Types of constituencies – Ireland) Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978). Category:1818 elections in the United Kingdom General election 1818 Category:June 1818 Category:July 1818 Category:August 1818 Category:1810s elections in Ireland Category:Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Category:Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool