United Kingdom general election, 1857

In the 1857 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs (British political party), Whigs, led by Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Lord Palmerston, won a majority in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons as the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative vote fell significantly. The election had been provoked by a vote of censure in Palmerston's government over his approach to the ''Arrow'' affair which led to the Second Opium War.

There is no separate tally of votes or seats for the Peelites. They did not contest elections as an organised party but more as independent Free trade Conservatives with varying degrees of distance from the two main parties.

According to A. J. P. Taylor:
:The general election of 1857 is unique in our history: the only election ever conducted as a simple plebiscite in favour of an individual. Even the "coupon" election of 1918 claimed to be more than a plebiscite for Lloyd George; even Disraeli and Gladstone offered a clash of policies as well as of personalities. In 1857 there was no issue before the electorate except whether Palmerston should be Prime Minister; and no one could pretend that Palmerston had any policy except to be himself.A. J. P. Taylor, "Lord Palmerston," ''History Today'' (1951) 1#7 pp 35-41 at p. 3
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Results

Summary

Seats summary

See also

* List of MPs elected in the 1857 United Kingdom general election
* 1857 United Kingdom general election in Ireland

Notes

References

Further reading

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External links

1857 General Election



{{British elections

1857 United Kingdom general election,
1857 elections in the United Kingdom
1857 in the United Kingdom, General election
General elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, 1857
March 1857 events
April 1857 events