sign in sign up
<<
Home , David Lloyd George, Neville Chamberlain

Nancy Astor and David Lloyd-George “My best wishes for your complete recovery - and my kindest regards to Lady Astor and yourself.” Letter to Waldorf Astor from , 1 April 1921

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George (1863-1945) was born in Manchester, raised in and first became an MP for Carnarvon Boroughs in 1890. He was the youngest MP in the House of Commons at the time and practised as a solicitor while on the backbenches. He held his seat for 55 years. From 1908 to 1915 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, during which time he was responsible for introducing Old Age Pensions, National Insurance and Unemployment Insurance. As a result of these Acts plus his ‘People’s Budget’ of 1909, which introduced measures to tax the rich to help fund further social reforms that would benefit the poor, he is considered to be one of the people who laid the foundations of the state. Coalition leader Lloyd George held a number of other parliamentary posts including President of the Board of Trade (1905-1908), (1915-1916) and Secretary of State for War (1916). Later in his career he was also the Leader of the Liberal Party (1926-1931). He became Prime Minister in - a position he held until as he led a coalition government through the First World War and beyond. A powerful speaker Lloyd George was a womaniser and a feared debater in the House of Commons. He married his mistress at the age of 80 after years of having an affair with her. His stinging attack on in one of his final speeches in 1940 helped pave the way for the end of Chamberlain‘s time as Prime Minister and the beginning of ‘s. Reform and corruption While some saw the worst in him, Nancy was always his supporter. Like her he was unpredictable, energetic and a temperance supporter. Her great friend Philip Kerr was his right hand man. His post-war reforms dealt with many of the social issues she was passionate about such as education, fair pay, rent control, child labour and unemployment. Unfortunately Lloyd George was discovered selling knighthoods and peerages. The corruption split the coalition and by the he found himself on the margins of politics.