First National Government 1931
| National Government | |
|---|---|
| Third MacDonald ministry of the United Kingdom | |
| August–October 1931 | |
 |
|
| Date formed | 24 August 1931 |
| Date dissolved | 28 October 1931 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | George V |
| Head of government | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Head of government's history | 1929–1935 |
| Deputy head of government | Stanley Baldwin |
| Total no. of ministers | 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 | Fourth MacDonald ministry |
The National Government of August–October 1931 was formed by Ramsay MacDonald as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following his expulsion from the Labour Party. He had formed a coalition government with several parties and subsequently won the forthcoming 1931 general election.
As a National Government it contained members of the Conservative Party, Liberals, Liberal Nationals and National Labour, as well as a number of individuals who belonged to no political party. The ministry was the first of several National Governments.
The outgoing Labour cabinet, which was a minority government, was unable to agree upon proposals to cut public expenditure. The Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald submitted his resignation to King George V on 24 August 1931.
The King persuaded MacDonald that it was his duty to form a new government to address the financial crisis. The original idea was that the National government would be free to draw upon the talents of members of all parties, so that it would represent the nation as a whole rather than being a coalition of parties like those which had existed between 1915 and 1922. However, as the main body of the Labour Party refused to co-operate, the government comprised members from MacDonald's small group of National Labour supporters, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party was split into three factions. The mainstream party led by Sir Herbert Samuel, who had been the Deputy Leader of the party before the formation of the National Government, continued to support free trade. The Liberal National group led by Sir John Simon had accepted the Conservative policy of protectionism. These two Liberal factions were supporters of the National Ministry. The third group of Lloyd George or Independent Liberals were opposed to the ministry (David Lloyd George had led the party until 1931, but during the crisis he was ill and he took no part in the discussions which led to Liberal participation in government).
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