Unionist government, 1895–1905
A coalition of the Conservative and Liberal Unionist parties took power in the United Kingdom following the 1895 general election. Conservative leader Lord Salisbury was appointed Prime Minister and his nephew, Arthur Balfour, became Leader of the House of Commons, but various major posts went to the Liberal Unionists, most notably the Leader of the House of Lords, the Liberal Unionist Duke of Devonshire, who was made Lord President, and his colleague in the Commons, Joseph Chamberlain, who became Colonial Secretary. It was this government which would conduct the Second Boer War from 1899-1902, which was exploited by the government to help win a landslide victory at the 1900 general election.
The government consisted of three ministries, the first two led by Salisbury and the third by Balfour.
Trade reform
Balfour succeeded Salisbury as Prime Minister in 1902. Eventually, the Unionist government would falter after Chamberlain proposed his scheme for tariff reform, whose partial embrace by Balfour led to the resignation of the more orthodox free traders in the Cabinet.Chinese miners in South Africa
After the conclusion of the Boer War, the British Government sought to rebuild the South African economy which had been devastated by the war. An important part of the rebuilding effort was to get the gold mines of the Witwatersrand, the richest in history and a major cause of the war, back in production as soon as possible. Because the government decreed that White labour was too expensive and Black labourers were reluctant to return to the mines, the government decided to import over 60,000 contracted workers from China.This was deeply unpopular at the time, as popular opinion in much of the Western world, including Britain; was hostile to Chinese immigration. It also happened at a time when poverty and unemployment amongst working-class British people was at very high levels. On 26 March 1904, a demonstration against Chinese immigration to South Africa was held in Hyde Park and was attended by 80,000 people. The Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Union Congress then passed a resolution declaring that:
Fall from power
With his majority greatly reduced and defeat in the next election seeming inevitable, Balfour resigned as Prime Minister in December 1905, leading to the appointment of a minority Liberal government under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. In the general election which followed in 1906, all but three members of Balfour's Cabinet lost their seats, including Balfour himself.Cabinets
Salisbury ministry
June 1895 to November 1900
November 1900 to July 1902
In November 1900, the Cabinet was reformed for the first time.Balfour ministry
Changes
- May 1903Lord Onslow succeeds Robert William Hanbury at the Board of Agriculture.
- September to October 1903
- *Lord Londonderry succeeds the Duke of Devonshire as Lord President. Londonderry remains President of the Board of Education.
- *Lord Lansdowne succeeds Devonshire as Leader of the House of Lords. Lansdowne remains Foreign Secretary.
- *Lord Salisbury succeeds Arthur Balfour as Lord Privy Seal.
- *Austen Chamberlain succeeds Charles Ritchie at the Exchequer. Chamberlain's successor as Postmaster General is not in the Cabinet.
- *Alfred Lyttelton succeeds Joseph Chamberlain as Colonial Secretary.
- *St John Brodrick succeeds Lord George Hamilton as Secretary for India.
- *H. O. Arnold-Forster succeeds Brodrick as Secretary for War.
- *Andrew Graham-Murray succeeds Lord Balfour of Burleigh as Secretary for Scotland.
- March 1905
- *Walter Hume Long succeeds George Wyndham as Irish Secretary.
- *Gerald Balfour succeeds Long at the Local Government Board.
- *Lord Salisbury succeeds Balfour at the Board of Trade. Salisbury remains Lord Privy Seal.
- *Lord Cawdor succeeds Lord Selborne at the Admiralty.
- *Ailwyn Fellowes succeeds Lord Onslow at the Board of Agriculture.
List of ministers
| Office | Name | Date |
| Prime Minister | The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury | 25 June 189511 July 1902 |
| Prime Minister | Arthur Balfour | 12 July 19024 December 1905 |
| First Lord of the Treasury | Arthur Balfour | 29 June 18954 December 1905 |
| Leader of the House of Commons | Arthur Balfour | 29 June 18954 December 1905 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir Michael Hicks Beach | 29 June 1895 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Charles Ritchie | 11 August 1902 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Austen Chamberlain | 9 October 1903 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury & Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | Sir William Walrond | 29 June 1895 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury & Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | Sir Alexander Acland-Hood | 8 August 1902 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Robert William Hanbury | 29 June 1895 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Austen Chamberlain | 7 November 1900 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | William Hayes Fisher | 8 August 1902 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Arthur Elliot | 10 April 1903 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Victor Cavendish | 9 October 1903 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Henry Torrens Anstruther | 6 July 189511 October 1903 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | William Hayes Fisher | 6 July 18958 August 1902 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Lord Stanley | 6 July 18957 November 1900 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Ailwyn Fellowes | 7 November 190015 March 1905 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Henry Forster | 8 August 19024 December 1905 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Lord Balniel | 11 October 19034 December 1905 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Lord Edmund Talbot | 16 June 19054 December 1905 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Halsbury | 29 June 1895 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Duke of Devonshire | 29 June 1895 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Marquess of Londonderry | 19 October 1903 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Viscount Cross | 29 June 1895 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury | 12 November 1900 |
| Lord Privy Seal | Arthur Balfour | 14 July 1902 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The 4th Marquess of Salisbury | 17 October 1903 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir Matthew White Ridley | 29 June 1895 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Charles Thomson Ritchie | 12 November 1900 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Aretas Akers-Douglas | 11 August 1902 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Jesse Collings | 3 July 1895 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Thomas Cochrane | 11 August 1902 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury | 29 June 1895 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | The Marquess of Lansdowne | 12 November 1900 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | George Curzon | 20 June 1895 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | St John Brodrick | 15 October 1898 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Viscount Cranborne | 12 November 1900 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Earl Percy | 9 October 1903 |
| Secretary of State for War | The Marquess of Lansdowne | 4 July 1895 |
| Secretary of State for War | St John Brodrick | 12 November 1900 |
| Secretary of State for War | H. O. Arnold-Forster | 12 October 1903 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | St John Brodrick | 4 July 1895 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | George Wyndham | 10 October 1898 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | The Lord Raglan | 13 November 1900 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | The Earl of Hardwicke | 8 August 1902 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | The Earl of Donoughmore | 12 October 1903 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Joseph Powell Williams | 3 July 1895 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Lord Stanley | 1 January 1901 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | William Bromley-Davenport | 12 October 1903 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | Joseph Chamberlain | 29 June 1895 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | Alfred Lyttelton | 9 October 1903 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Selborne | 28 June 1895 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Onslow | 26 November 1900 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Duke of Marlborough | 22 July 1903 |
| Secretary of State for India | Lord George Hamilton | 4 July 1895 |
| Secretary of State for India | St John Brodrick | 9 October 1903 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | The Earl of Onslow | 5 July 1895 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | The Earl of Hardwicke | 17 January 1901 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | Earl Percy | 18 August 1902 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | vacant | 29 November 1904 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | The Marquess of Bath | 20 January 1905 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | George Goschen | 29 June 1895 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | The Earl of Selborne | 12 November 1900 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | The Earl Cawdor | 27 March 1905 |
| Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | William Ellison-Macartney | 29 June 1895 |
| Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | H. O. Arnold-Forster | 7 November 1900 |
| Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | E. G. Pretyman | 11 October 1903 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | Austen Chamberlain | 6 July 1895 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | E. G. Pretyman | 7 November 1900 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | Arthur Lee | 11 October 1903 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | Walter Long | 4 July 1895 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | Robert William Hanbury | 16 November 1900 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | The Earl of Onslow | 20 May 1903 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | Ailwyn Fellowes | 14 March 1905 |
| President of the Board of Education | The Duke of Devonshire | 3 March 1900 |
| President of the Board of Education | The Marquess of Londonderry | 11 August 1902 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education | Sir William Anson | 11 August 1902 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Gerald Balfour | 4 July 1895 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | George Wyndham | 9 November 1900 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Walter Long | 12 March 1905 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl Cadogan | 29 June 1895 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl of Dudley | 11 August 1902 |
| Lord Chancellor of Ireland | The Lord Ashbourne | 29 June 1895 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Viscount Cross | 29 June 1895 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord James of Hereford | 4 July 1895 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Sir William Walrond | 11 August 1902 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Henry Chaplin | 29 June 1895 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Walter Long | 12 November 1900 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Gerald Balfour | 14 March 1905 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | Thomas Russell | 30 June 1895 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | John Lawson | 12 November 1900 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | Arthur Frederick Jeffreys | 27 June 1905 |
| Postmaster General | The Duke of Norfolk | 6 July 1895 |
| Postmaster General | The Marquess of Londonderry | 10 April 1900 |
| Postmaster General | Austen Chamberlain | 11 August 1902 |
| Postmaster General | Lord Stanley | 9 October 1903 |
| Secretary for Scotland | The Lord Balfour of Burleigh | 29 June 1895 |
| Secretary for Scotland | Andrew Murray | 9 October 1903 |
| Secretary for Scotland | The Marquess of Linlithgow | 2 February 1905 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Charles Ritchie | 29 June 1895 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Gerald Balfour | 12 November 1900 |
| President of the Board of Trade | The 4th Marquess of Salisbury | 14 March 1905 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | The Earl of Dudley | 29 June 1895 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | Bonar Law | 8 August 1902 |
| First Commissioner of Works | Aretas Akers-Douglas | 4 July 1895 |
| First Commissioner of Works | The Lord Windsor | 11 August 1902 |
| Vice-President of the Committee on Education | Sir John Eldon Gorst | 4 July 1895 |
| Paymaster General | The Earl of Hopetoun | 16 July 1895 |
| Paymaster General | The Duke of Marlborough | 1899 |
| Paymaster General | Sir Savile Crossley | 11 March 1902 |
| Attorney General | Sir Richard Webster | 8 July 1895 |
| Attorney General | Sir Robert Finlay | 11 May 1900 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Robert Finlay | 30 August 1895 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Edward Carson | 11 May 1900 |
| Lord Advocate | Sir Charles Pearson | 11 July 1895 |
| Lord Advocate | Andrew Murray | 14 May 1896 |
| Lord Advocate | Charles Dickson | 17 October 1903 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Andrew Murray | 11 July 1895 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Charles Dickson | 14 May 1896 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | David Dundas | 17 October 1903 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Edward Theodore Salvesen | 2 February 1905 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | James Avon Clyde | 17 October 1905 |
| Attorney-General for Ireland | John Atkinson | 8 July 1895 |
| Solicitor-General for Ireland | William Kenny | 28 August 1895 |
| Solicitor-General for Ireland | Dunbar Barton | 28 August 1895 |
| Solicitor-General for Ireland | George Wright | 30 January 1900 |
| Solicitor-General for Ireland | James Campbell | 8 July 1903 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl of Pembroke | 16 July 1895 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Earl of Lathom | 16 July 1895 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Earl of Hopetoun | 7 December 1898 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Earl of Clarendon | 21 September 1900 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Ailwyn Fellowes | 10 July 1895 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Sir Alexander Acland-Hood | 3 December 1900 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | The Lord Wolverton | 17 November 1902 |
| Master of the Horse | The Duke of Portland | 16 July 1895 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Marquess of Carmarthen | 10 July 1895 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Viscount Curzon | 11 February 1896 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Victor Cavendish | 4 December 1900 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Marquess of Hamilton | 13 October 1903 |
| Comptroller of the Household | Lord Arthur Hill | 10 July 1895 |
| Comptroller of the Household | The Viscount Valentia | 19 October 1898 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Lord Belper | 16 July 1895 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard & Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords | The Earl of Limerick | 16 July 1895 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard & Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords | The Earl Waldegrave | 26 August 1896 |
| Master of the Buckhounds | The Earl of Coventry | 16 July 1895 |
| Master of the Buckhounds | The Lord Chesham | 1 November 1900 |
| Mistress of the Robes | The Duchess of Buccleuch | 16 July 1895 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Lord Churchill | 16 July 18954 December 1905 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Lord Harris | 16 July 18954 December 1900 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Lord Henniker | 16 July 18951 November 1895 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Lord Lawrence | 16 July 18954 December 1905 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl of Ranfurly | 16 July 189521 April 1897 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl Waldegrave | 16 July 18959 September 1896 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl of Clarendon | 17 July 189530 October 1900 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Viscount Bridport | 30 June 188418 February 1901 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl of Kintore | 1 November 18954 December 1905 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Lord Bagot | 9 September 18962 July 1901 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl of Denbigh | 22 April 18974 December 1905 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl Howe | 30 October 19001 October 1903 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Lord Kenyon | 4 December 19004 December 1905 |
| Lords-in-Waiting | The Earl of Erroll | 19 October 19034 December 1905 |