The Carlton Club meeting ended the Lloyd George coalition government and reshaped Conservative Party leadership, triggering a general election won outright by the Conservatives.
Key Facts
- Date
- 19 October 1922
- Venue
- Carlton Club, London
- Vote result
- Decisive vote against continuing the Coalition
- Party leader resigned
- Austen Chamberlain
- New Prime Minister invited
- Bonar Law
- Electoral outcome
- Conservatives won general election with overall majority
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Growing discontent within the Conservative Party over its continued participation in coalition government with Lloyd George's Liberals led rebel MPs, including Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin, to argue the arrangement was damaging Conservative interests. Despite the party leadership favouring continuation, pressure mounted for a formal vote on the matter.
On 19 October 1922, Conservative MPs gathered at the Carlton Club in London for a formal meeting to decide whether to remain in the Lloyd George coalition. The party rebels carried the vote decisively against continued participation, overruling the party leadership's preference to stay in government.
The Coalition government collapsed immediately following the vote. Austen Chamberlain resigned as Conservative Party leader, and Bonar Law was invited to form a new government. The Conservatives subsequently called and won a general election, securing an overall parliamentary majority and governing independently.