April-June 1859
General election and the founding of the Liberal Party

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In the general election held in April and May 1859, the Conservatives, led by Lord Derby, are re-elected as a minority government, only gaining a few seats.

Lord John Russell and Palmerston call a meeting of opposition MPs. There it is agreed that Whigs, Liberals, Radicals and Peelites should join together to form a new Liberal Party. Although they come from diverse backgrounds and do not all share the same priorities, they are brought together by their common support for Italian unification (see 24 June 1859) and by their urgent desire to get rid of Derby's government.

The new party becomes heavyweight when William Gladstone, the most eminent Peelite, decides to join, even though he is known to disapprove of Palmerston's foreign policy and personal life.

Because the new party now constitutes a majority in Parliament, the Conservative government resigns. The first Liberal government is led by Palmerston as prime minister, Russell as foreign secretary and Gladstone as chancellor of the Exchequer.

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