A Party in the Wilderness: 1945–1956

Abstract

In the general election of 1945, the Parliamentary Liberal Party had come near to extinction. In the years that followed, the party came very close to disappearing altogether. In the municipal elections, the story was the same. By 1938, except in an occasional stronghold in Yorkshire and Lancashire, the party had almost ceased to be represented on many borough councils. The municipal elections of November 1945, with their sweeping Labour gains, finally ended what remained of the old Liberal Party. A mere 92 Liberals (4.2 per cent), from a tiny field of 360 candidates, were successful, compared to 1,372 Labour and 384 Conservatives. Labour’s tally of gains amounted to a massive 972 seats.