Arthur Balfour

The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC (25 July 1848–19 March 1930) was a British statesman and the thirty-third Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Balfour as Prime Minister

On Lord Salisbury's resignation on 11 July 1902, Balfour succeeded him as prime minister, with the approval of all sections of the unionist party. The new prime minister came into power practically at the same moment as the coronation of Edward VII and the end of the South African War. For a while no cloud appeared on the horizon: and the Liberal party was still disorganized over their attitude towards the Boers. The two chief items of the ministerial parliamentary program were the extension of the new Education Act to London and the Irish Land Purchase Act, by which the British exchequer should advance the capital for enabling the tenants in Ireland to buy out the landlords. Moreover, the budget was certain to show a surplus and taxation could be remitted. As events proved, it was the budget that was to provide a cause of dissension, bringing a new political movement into being, and an issue overriding all the legislative interest of the session. Ritchie's remission of the shilling import-duty on corn led to Chamberlain's crusade in favor of tariff reform and colonial preference, and as the session preceded the rift grew in the unionist ranks.

Related Topics:
11 July - 1902 - Edward VII - South African War - Ritchie - Chamberlain

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The debate over Imperial Preference (see article for detailed explanation) and the subsequent split of the Conservative-Unionist Party dominated the three years of Balfour's premiership. Balfour eventually resigned in December of 1905, and the Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Liberals at the general election, Balfour himself losing his seat (he quickly found another seat). A notable achievement of his government was the establishment of the Committee on Imperial Defence.

Related Topics:
Imperial Preference - Committee on Imperial Defence

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