The Maurice Debate
Encyclopedia
The Maurice Debate was a debate in the British House of Commons
which took place on 9 May 1918. It was tabled in response to the publication of a letter in The Times
newspaper the day before from Major-General Sir Frederick Maurice
, who had recently been removed as Director of Military Operations. Maurice's letter also appeared in The Morning Post, the Daily Chronicle
and Daily News
.
of Prime Minister
David Lloyd George
and Unionist Party
leader Andrew Bonar Law, had deliberately provided false information to Parliament about the strength of British troops on the Western Front
in order to cover up the fact that the number of British troops there had been reduced following Lloyd George's decision (against military advice) to send additional forces to Palestine. In his letter he accused both Bonar Law and Lloyd George of misleading the House.
leader H H Asquith tabled a private notice question and Bonar Law for the government offered to establish a Court of Honour
consisting of two judges to look into the matter but Asquith demanded a Select Committee to inquire into the allegations and pressed for a Parliamentary debate.
Lloyd George on the other hand was direct and combative. He treated the issue as if it were a vote of confidence
in the government and refuted Maurice's charges in a powerful, if misleading speech, based on doubtful material. Parliament had no desire to displace the government and in the vote on the debate the House of Commons divided in support of the Government by 295 votes to 108. One historian of the Liberal Party has commented that this was a larger majority than had appeared likely.
, Freddie Guest and the Conservatives guaranteeing Coalition backing for 150 Liberal MPs in the next general election. This was the birth of the coalition coupon and the formal divide in Liberal ranks which took place at the 1918 general election
.
The Maurice debate may not have been the identifying factor for those Liberals granted or denied the coalition coupon at the 1918 general election but the personal rift between Lloyd George and Asquith was deepened by it. The disunity in the Liberal Party was transparent for all to see, to the clear electoral detriment of the party. By 1924 the Liberal Party had been reduced in Parliament to 40 seats and was never again able to form a government in its own right.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
which took place on 9 May 1918. It was tabled in response to the publication of a letter in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper the day before from Major-General Sir Frederick Maurice
Frederick Barton Maurice
Major-General Sir Frederick Barton Maurice, 1st Baronet GCB GCMG GCVO DSO was a British general, military correspondent, writer and academic...
, who had recently been removed as Director of Military Operations. Maurice's letter also appeared in The Morning Post, the Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the Daily News to become the News Chronicle.-History:...
and Daily News
Daily News (UK)
The Daily News was a national daily newspaper in the United Kingdom.The News was founded in 1846 by Charles Dickens, who also served as the newspaper's first editor. It was conceived as a radical rival to the right-wing Morning Chronicle. The paper was not at first a commercial success...
.
Maurice’s allegations
In his letter, Maurice claimed that ministers in the coalition governmentCoalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and Unionist Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
leader Andrew Bonar Law, had deliberately provided false information to Parliament about the strength of British troops on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in order to cover up the fact that the number of British troops there had been reduced following Lloyd George's decision (against military advice) to send additional forces to Palestine. In his letter he accused both Bonar Law and Lloyd George of misleading the House.
Opposition reaction
The letter provoked serious concern both on the substantive issue of the right levels of manpower on the Western Front and their adequate support and because of the allegation that MPs had been misled. Former prime minister and LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
leader H H Asquith tabled a private notice question and Bonar Law for the government offered to establish a Court of Honour
Court of Honor
A court of honor is a semi-official or unofficial tribunal constituted to determine various questions of social protocol, breaches of etiquette, and other allegations of breaches of honor, or entitlement to various honors...
consisting of two judges to look into the matter but Asquith demanded a Select Committee to inquire into the allegations and pressed for a Parliamentary debate.
The debate
In the debate Lloyd George was attacked by Asquith, although on the arguments put forward in the House, Lloyd George was judged to have demolished the charges Maurice had laid against him. One commentator, a former Liberal MP, noted that, “....at the time it appeared that Lloyd George had completely routed his critics.” Lloyd George even went on the attack himself pointing out that Maurice’s letter constituted a breach of military discipline. Asquith’s performance in the debate has been judged as dry, formal and pedantic. According to his biographer, “...[T]here was no sense of a great Parliamentary occasion about his speech. He had chosen a minor key and he had played it without his usual sureness of touch.”Lloyd George on the other hand was direct and combative. He treated the issue as if it were a vote of confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the government and refuted Maurice's charges in a powerful, if misleading speech, based on doubtful material. Parliament had no desire to displace the government and in the vote on the debate the House of Commons divided in support of the Government by 295 votes to 108. One historian of the Liberal Party has commented that this was a larger majority than had appeared likely.
The impact of the debate
The Times newspaper reported that as a result of the debate it now sensed the existence of an organised opposition. This was not the first time that Liberals had voted against the government but it was the first time that Asquith had led the opposition from the front. Thoughts about formalising the Coalition Liberals into a distinct party group now began to take shape. The beginnings of separate Lloyd Georgeite Liberal constituency organisations began to appear In the Summer of 1918 there were talks between Lloyd George’s Chief WhipChief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
, Freddie Guest and the Conservatives guaranteeing Coalition backing for 150 Liberal MPs in the next general election. This was the birth of the coalition coupon and the formal divide in Liberal ranks which took place at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
.
The Maurice debate may not have been the identifying factor for those Liberals granted or denied the coalition coupon at the 1918 general election but the personal rift between Lloyd George and Asquith was deepened by it. The disunity in the Liberal Party was transparent for all to see, to the clear electoral detriment of the party. By 1924 the Liberal Party had been reduced in Parliament to 40 seats and was never again able to form a government in its own right.
See also
- History of the Liberal Party (UK)
- Douglas Haig, 1st Earl HaigDouglas Haig, 1st Earl HaigField Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
- Biography of Maurice at Spartacus.Schoolnet