Derby Dilly
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Derby Dilly
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|---|---|
| Leader | Lord Stanley |
| Founded | May 1834 |
| Dissolved | December 1837 - Early 1838 |
| Split from | Whigs |
| Merged into | Conservatives |
| Ideology |
Progressive Conservatism Anti-Radicalism Pro-Established Church |
| Religion | Church of England |
The Derby Dilly was a name given to a group of dissident Whigs and others in the United Kingdom led by the former Cabinet minister Edward, Lord Stanley, who later became 14th Earl of Derby. Stanley had resigned from the cabinet of Lord Grey over the reorganisation of the Church of Ireland in 1834.
The uneasy coalition of Whigs, Canningites, Radicals, Irish Repealers and Tory mavericks that had been in office since 1830 and had passed the Reform Act 1832 had been showing signs of growing fracture. Their electoral victory of 1832 against a demoralised Tory party quickly led to a growing struggle between politicians like Lord John Russell who wanted to extend the cause of reforms to other areas of governance and Edward Smith-Stanley and others who feared the growth of radicalism - and the influence of the Irish repealers in particular. In May 1834, this pressure became too great and Stanley with the ex-Canningite The Earl of Ripon, Conservative Whig Sir James Graham and The Duke of Richmond (who had previously been one of the Ultra-Tories) resigned from the cabinet on the issue of proposed changes to the structure and finances of the Anglican Church of Ireland .
Preferring to call themselves 'Moderate Whigs' or just 'Moderates', Stanley and his immediate cohorts including Graham and Francis Burdett at first remained on the Government benches in the House of Commons. They were at first known unofficially as the 'Stanleyites' as they seemed more of an old style parliamentary faction familiar in British politics from the 18th and early 19th centuries. However the group soon received a new name from their political opponents to which they are now best remembered - 'The Derby Dilly'.
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