Norway Debate

The Norway Debate, sometimes called the Narvik Debate, was a significant debate in the British House of Commons that took place on Tuesday, 7 and Wednesday, 8 May 1940. It led directly to the formation of a broadly-based coalition government led by Winston Churchill, which governed Britain until the end of World War II in Europe. Following on from an adjournment motion, the debate was primarily about the progress of the Norwegian Campaign but it quickly brought to a head widespread dissatisfaction with the overall conduct of the war by the Conservative-dominated National Government, led by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

In the debate, Chamberlain's government was criticised not only by the Opposition but also by respected members of his own party. The Opposition forced a vote, effectively a motion of no confidence, which the government won with a greatly reduced majority. Over a quarter of Conservative members voted with the Opposition or abstained, despite a three line whip, and this made it clear that support for Chamberlain in his own party was crumbling. There were calls for national unity to be established by formation of an all-party coalition, but it was not possible for Chamberlain to reach agreement with the opposition Labour and Liberal parties who refused to serve under his leadership, though they would accept a different Conservative leader. On Friday, 10 May, the day that Nazi Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands, Chamberlain resigned and was succeeded as Prime Minister by Churchill.

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