Henry Austin Bruce, Liberal MP for Merthyr Tydfil, 1852-68, & Renfrewshire. 1869-73, was born #OnThisDay 1815. His many official roles included serving as Home Secretary, 1868-73, President Aberystwyth University & President Royal Historical Society 1878-91. He was created Baron Aberdare in 1873.

#OTD 1894: Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir William Harcourt introduces his second Budget, with the most important innovation being graduated death duties.

LiberalHistoryToday Also #OTD in 1908, Churchill's predecessor at the Board of Trade, David Lloyd George, replaces Asquith as Chancellor of the Exchequer and would serve at the Treasury for over 7 years, his 1909 Budget would cause the most significant constitutional crisis in almost 80 years.

#OTD 1908: Four years after crossing the floor from the Conservatives, Winston Churchill becomes President of the Board of Trade under Asquith, his first cabinet post, helping the Liberals pass important industrial reform legislation.

Our spring conference fringe meeting, 'Greening Liberalism', can now be watched here:

youtube.com/watch?v=gfq0t8…

Having a former Prime Minster for a neighbour certainly gets things sorted - in this case #Llanystwmdwy was connected to the electricity grid in 1947 thanks to Countess Lloyd George's connections in Westminster #Electricity #DavidLloydGeorge LLOYD GEORGE ARCHIVE Col. Scovell Collection

#OTD 1890: David Lloyd George wins the Caernarfon Boroughs by-election by just 19 votes.

For this #ConstituencyTuesday find out about the impact of the 1832 reform legislation on English electoral politics between 1832 and 1868 in this blog from Dr Martin Spychal👇 TheVictorianCommons ow.ly/3hc550OtmXR

#OTD 1906: Augustine Birrell introduces the ill-fated Education Bill to the House of Commons.

#OTD 1908: H.H. Asquith is appointed Prime Minister by King Edward VII in a hotel room in the South of France. The king was holidaying in Biarritz and, unwilling to interrupt his holiday, Asquith was summoned there.

Died #OnThisDay 1875 Alfred Rhodes Bristow, a draper’s son, alumnus of King's College London & solicitor, he became Liberal MP for Kidderminster in 1859. Find out more about his political career here: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/mp-…

#OTD 1880: William Gladstone is elected MP for Edinburghshire. At the same general election, Gladstone was also elected as one of the two MPs representing Leeds but, as he could not hold two seats at the same time, he stood down in Leeds. His son Herbert would then win the seat.

Richard Cobden, Liberal MP and leading figure in the Anti-Corn Law League, died #OnThisDay 1865. This guest blog for us from the Letters of Richard Cobden Online project used Cobden’s letters to explore his human side: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2023/11/24/ric…

#OTD 1865: Death of Richard Cobden, manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He also gave his name to the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty, a free trade agreement that was signed between Britain and France.

#OTD 1873: The Judicature Act becomes law in Britain, simplifying the legal system. The act would also have removed the judicial functions of the House of Lords, but Benjamin Disraeli's new Conservative government removed this part of the legislation before it came into force.

#OTD 1979: David Alton gains Liverpool Edge Hill from Labour in a famous by-election win, the first and only Liberal by-election success of the 1974-79 parliament.

LiberalHistoryToday Neilson had resigned specifically through his longstanding opposition to WW1, refusing to sit in the Commons from outbreak in 1914. Published How Diplomats Make War, a widely circulated book. Had successful separate career as transatlantic playwright & theatre/opera director.

Ten years ago the first same sex marriages took place. There can be few changes in the law that have brought so much happiness to so many people. The role Lynne Featherstone and I played at the different stages is covered here stephenwilliamsmp.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/fir…

#OTD 1916: The Liberal Party holds Hyde in a rare contested wartime by-election, caused by the resignation of controversial Liberal MP Francis Neilsen. Liberal and coalition candidate, T.O. Jacobson, fought off a strong campaign by the Independent, D.P. Davies who polled 44%.

It's not quite 'The Land'...