National Government (1931)
The National Government of August–October 1931, also known as the First National Government was the first of a series of national governments formed during the Great Depression in the United Kingdom. It was formed by Ramsay MacDonald as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the collapse of the previous minority government, led by the Labour Party, known as the Second MacDonald ministry.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2019) |
| National Government | |
|---|---|
| 1st National Government of the United Kingdom | |
| August–October 1931 | |
| Date formed | 24 August 1931 |
| Date dissolved | 27 October 1931 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Prime Minister's history | 1929–1935 |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Stanley Baldwin[note 1] |
| Total no. of members | 59 appointments |
| Member parties | |
| Status in legislature | Majority (coalition) |
| Opposition party | Labour Party |
| Opposition leaders | |
| History | |
| Outgoing election | 1931 general election |
| Legislature term(s) | 35th UK Parliament |
| Predecessor | Second MacDonald ministry |
| Successor | Second National Government |
As a National Government, it contained members of the Conservative Party, Liberals and National Labour, as well as a number of individuals who belonged to no political party. The breakaway Liberal Nationals supported the National Government after their formation in September 1931 but none received posts in the new administration. Subsequently two Liberal ministers, Alec Glassey and John Pybus, defected to the Liberal Nationals. It did not contain members of the Labour Party as MacDonald had been expelled from it. The Labour Party led the opposition.
Viewed by many Labourites as a traitor, Macdonald was expelled from the Labour Party, and remained a hated figure within the Labour Party for many years thereafter, despite his great services to his party earlier in his life.[1]