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87-449: The prime minister Neville Chamberlain summarised the 4 possible areas for discussion in a debate on the Eire Bill held on 5 May 1938: "The first was the question of partition; the second, of defence; the third, finance; and the fourth, trade." Partition was considered by him to be a matter to be resolved between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Chamberlain summed up that: " In spite of all

174-576: A National Government supported by most Conservative MPs. Chamberlain once again returned to the Ministry of Health. After the 1931 general election , in which supporters of the National Government (mostly Conservatives) won an overwhelming victory, MacDonald designated Chamberlain as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Chamberlain proposed a 10% tariff on foreign goods and lower or no tariffs on goods from

261-432: A Member of Parliament in the 1918 general election for the new Birmingham Ladywood division at the age of 49. He declined a junior ministerial position, remaining a backbencher until 1922. He was rapidly promoted in 1923 to Minister of Health and then Chancellor of the Exchequer . After a short-lived Labour -led government, he returned as Minister of Health, introducing a range of reform measures from 1924 to 1929. He

348-483: A Unitarian with no stated faith and also a "reverent agnostic". Neville Chamberlain was educated at home by his elder sister Beatrice Chamberlain and later at Rugby School . Joseph Chamberlain then sent Neville to Mason College , now the University of Birmingham . Neville Chamberlain had little interest in his studies there, and in 1889 his father apprenticed him to a firm of accountants. Within six months he became

435-485: A lord mayor in wartime, Chamberlain had a huge burden of work and he insisted that his councillors and officials work equally hard. He halved the lord mayor's expense allowance and cut back on the number of civic functions expected of the incumbent. In 1915, Chamberlain was appointed a member of the Central Control Board on liquor traffic. In December 1916, Prime Minister David Lloyd George offered Chamberlain

522-456: A manufacturer of metal ship berths. Chamberlain served as managing director of Hoskins for 17 years during which time the company prospered. He also involved himself in civic activities in Birmingham. In 1906, as Governor of Birmingham General Hospital , and along with "no more than fifteen" other dignitaries, Chamberlain became a founding member of the national United Hospitals Committee of

609-612: A mutual assistance pact and both the French and Czechoslovaks also had an alliance with the Soviet Union. After the fall of Austria, the Cabinet's Foreign Policy Committee considered seeking a "grand alliance" to thwart Germany or, alternatively, an assurance to France of assistance if the French went to war. Instead, the committee chose to advocate that Czechoslovakia be urged to make the best terms it could with Germany. The full Cabinet agreed with

696-514: A national government supported by all the main parties was essential, Chamberlain resigned the premiership because the Labour and Liberal parties would not serve under his leadership. Although he still led the Conservative Party, he was succeeded as prime minister by his colleague Winston Churchill . Until ill health forced him to resign on 22 September 1940, Chamberlain was an important member of

783-509: A partner in a stable Europe. He believed Germany could be satisfied by the restoration of some of its colonies, and during the Rhineland crisis of March 1936 he had stated that "if we were in sight of an all-round settlement the British government ought to consider the question" of restoration of colonies. The new prime minister's attempts to secure such a settlement were frustrated because Germany

870-442: A prime minister up to that time, with officials at Number 10 , led by his chief of press George Steward, convincing members of the press that they were colleagues sharing power and insider knowledge, and should espouse the government line. Chamberlain saw his elevation to the premiership as the final glory in a career as a domestic reformer, not realising that he would be remembered for foreign policy decisions. One reason he sought

957-517: A salaried employee. In an effort to recoup diminished family fortunes, Joseph Chamberlain sent his younger son to establish a sisal plantation on Andros Island in the Bahamas . Neville Chamberlain spent six years there but the plantation was a failure, and Joseph Chamberlain lost £50,000 (equivalent to £7,295,000 in 2024). On his return to England, Neville Chamberlain entered business, purchasing (with assistance from his family) Hoskins & Company,

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1044-577: A stand against appeasement (Churchill described him in The Second World War as "one strong young figure standing up against long, dismal, drawling tides of drift and surrender") but many ministers and MPs believed there was no issue at stake worth resignation. Chamberlain appointed Lord Halifax as foreign secretary in Eden's place. In March 1938, Austria became a part of Germany in the Anschluss . Though

1131-523: A visible force of overwhelming strength backed by the determination to use it. ... Heaven knows I don't want to get back to alliances but if Germany continues to behave as she has done lately she may drive us to it. On 14 March, the day after the Anschluss , Chamberlain addressed the House of Commons and strongly condemned the methods used by the Germans in the takeover of Austria. Chamberlain's address met with

1218-551: Is Shabana Mahmood , one of the UK's first three female Muslim MPs. The first campaign for this constituency in 1918 was notable because the Liberal Party candidate was Mrs Margery Corbett Ashby , one of only seventeen women candidates to contest a parliamentary election at the first opportunity. Chamberlain reacted to this intervention by being one of the few male candidates to specifically target women voters; deploying his wife, issuing

1305-978: Is within the seat, as is St Andrews, the home of and Birmingham City Football Club . 1918–1950 : The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Ladywood and Rotton Park. 1950–1955 : The County Borough of Birmingham wards of All Saints', Ladywood, and Rotton Park. 1955–1974 : The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Duddeston, Ladywood, and St Paul's. 1974–1983 : The County Borough of Birmingham wards of All Saints', Ladywood, Rotton Park, and Soho. 1983–1997 : The City of Birmingham wards of Ladywood, Sandwell, and Soho. 1997–2010 : The City of Birmingham wards of Aston, Ladywood, Nechells, and Soho. 2010–2024 : The City of Birmingham wards of Aston, Ladywood, North Edgbaston, Nechells, Bordesley & Highgate, and Soho & Jewellery Quarter. 2024–present : The City of Birmingham wards of Alum Rock; Balsall Heath West; Bordesley & Highgate; Bordesley Green; Ladywood; Nechells; Newtown; Soho & Jewellery Quarter. After adjusting

1392-511: The 1936 abdication crisis . He wrote in his diary that Wallis Simpson , Edward VIII's intended wife, was "an entirely unscrupulous woman who is not in love with the King but is exploiting him for her own purposes. She has already ruined him in money and jewels ..." In common with the rest of the Cabinet, except Duff Cooper , he agreed with Baldwin that the King should abdicate if he married Simpson, and on 6 December he and Baldwin both stressed that

1479-693: The Anglo-Irish War . The Trade Agreement, including the return of the Treaty Ports, was given effect in the United Kingdom through the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938 . Neville Chamberlain Defunct Arthur Neville Chamberlain ( / ˈ tʃ eɪ m b ər l ɪ n / ; 18 March 1869 – 9 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of

1566-650: The British Medical Association . At forty, Chamberlain was expecting to remain a bachelor, but in 1910 he fell in love with Anne Cole , a recent connection by marriage, and married her the following year. They met through his Aunt Lilian, the Canadian-born widow of Joseph Chamberlain's brother Herbert, who in 1907 had married Anne Cole's uncle Alfred Clayton Cole , a director of the Bank of England . She encouraged and supported his entry into local politics and

1653-491: The House of Commons , and was adopted as Unionist candidate for Birmingham Ladywood . After the war ended, a general election was called almost immediately. The campaign in this constituency was notable because his Liberal Party opponent was Margery Corbett Ashby , one of the seventeen women who stood for Parliament at the first election at which women were eligible to do so. Chamberlain reacted to this intervention by being one of

1740-454: The Labour Party since 2010 . Mahmood currently serves as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under the government of Keir Starmer . The constituency includes the entirety of Birmingham City Centre ( Ladywood ward), as well as Aston , Nechells and Soho which (based on the indices of Multiple Deprivation) are the city wards of highest deprivation. Aston University

1827-529: The Land Acts introduced by governments of the United Kingdom between 1870 and 1909). The Trade Agreement was portrayed as advantageous for the newly reconstituted Irish state, as the remaining land annuities liability under a 1925 agreement was £11.75 millions (in annual repayments of £250,000 over sixty years). The apparently favourable saving of £1,175,000 was made much of on the Irish side, but more than matched what

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1914-605: The President of the Board of Trade , Walter Runciman , on the tariff issue, Chamberlain dismissed him from his post, instead offering him the token position of Lord Privy Seal , which an angry Runciman declined. Chamberlain thought Runciman, a member of the Liberal National Party , to be lazy. Soon after taking office Chamberlain instructed his ministers to prepare two-year policy programmes. These reports were to be integrated with

2001-693: The war cabinet as Lord President of the Council , heading the government in Churchill's absence. His support for Churchill proved vital during the May 1940 war cabinet crisis . Chamberlain died aged 71 on 9 November of cancer, six months after leaving the premiership. Chamberlain's reputation remains controversial among historians, the initial high regard for him being entirely eroded by books such as Guilty Men , published in July 1940, which blamed Chamberlain and his associates for

2088-571: The 1922 election and was defeated in a by-election in March 1923 by future home secretary James Chuter Ede , Law offered the position to Chamberlain. Two months later, Law was diagnosed with advanced, terminal throat cancer. He immediately resigned and was replaced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Stanley Baldwin . In August 1923, Baldwin promoted Chamberlain to the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Chamberlain served only five months in

2175-480: The 25 bills had passed into law. Chamberlain sought the abolition of the elected Poor Law Boards of Guardians which administered relief—and which in some areas were responsible for rates . Many of the boards were controlled by Labour, and such boards had defied the government by distributing relief funds to the able-bodied unemployed. In 1929, Chamberlain initiated the Local Government Act 1929 to abolish

2262-719: The Admiralty Duff Cooper dissenting against Chamberlain's policy to pressure Czechoslovakia into making concessions, on the ground that Britain was then in no position to back up any threat to go to war. Chamberlain realised that Hitler would likely signal his intentions in his 12 September speech at the annual Nuremberg Rally , and so he discussed with his advisors how to respond if war seemed likely. In consultation with his close advisor Sir Horace Wilson , Chamberlain set out "Plan Z". If war seemed inevitable, Chamberlain would fly to Germany to negotiate directly with Hitler. Lord Runciman continued his work, attempting to pressure

2349-581: The British would have gradually lost over the 47 years, if the value was discounted on the Time value of money basis. It was convenient for both sides to close the matter. The United Kingdom also transferred to the government of Ireland the Treaty Ports (Queenstown ( Cobh ), Berehaven and Lough Swilly ). The use of these ports had been retained by the United Kingdom under the Anglo-Irish Treaty that ended

2436-508: The Commons, "We have now finished the story of Bleak House and are sitting down this afternoon to enjoy the first chapter of Great Expectations ." The Unemployed Assistance Board (UAB, established by the Unemployment Act 1934 ) was largely Chamberlain's creation, and he wished to see the issue of unemployment assistance removed from party political argument. Moreover, Chamberlain "saw

2523-625: The Conservatives and later merged with them under the name "Unionist Party", which in 1925 became known as the "Conservative and Unionist Party". In 1911, Neville Chamberlain successfully stood as a Liberal Unionist for Birmingham City Council for the All Saints' Ward, located within his father's parliamentary constituency . Chamberlain was made chairman of the Town Planning Committee. Under his direction, Birmingham soon adopted one of

2610-640: The Czechoslovak government into concessions. On 7 September there was an altercation involving Sudeten members of the Czechoslovak parliament in the North Moravian city of Ostrava ( Mährisch-Ostrau in German). The Germans made considerable propaganda out of the incident, though the Prague government tried to conciliate them by dismissing Czech police who had been involved. As the tempest grew, Runciman concluded that there

2697-516: The Halifax visit made it appear Britain was too eager for talks, and the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, felt that he had been bypassed. Chamberlain also bypassed Eden while the latter was on holiday by opening direct talks with Italy, an international pariah for its invasion and conquest of Ethiopia . At a Cabinet meeting on 8 September 1937, Chamberlain indicated that he saw "the lessening of

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2784-554: The House of Commons more completely misled" and that "members were made to feel very differently about it when our existence hung in the balance during the Battle of the Atlantic ." Chamberlain believed that the Treaty Ports were unusable if Ireland was hostile, and deemed their loss worthwhile to assure friendly relations with Dublin. Chamberlain sought to conciliate Germany and make the Nazi state

2871-410: The House of Commons. During the campaign, deputy Labour leader Arthur Greenwood had attacked Chamberlain for spending money on rearmament, saying that the rearmament policy was "the merest scaremongering; disgraceful in a statesman of Mr Chamberlain's responsible position, to suggest that more millions of money needed to be spent on armaments." Chamberlain is believed to have had a significant role in

2958-452: The Irish a final offer in March 1938 which acceded to many Irish positions, though he was confident that he had "only given up the small things," and the agreements were signed on 25 April 1938. The issue of partition was not resolved, but the Irish agreed to pay £10 million to the British. There was no provision in the treaties for British access to the Treaty Ports in time of war, but Chamberlain accepted de Valera's oral assurance that in

3045-518: The King should make his decision before Christmas; by one account, he believed that the uncertainty was "hurting the Christmas trade". The King abdicated on 10 December, four days after the meeting. Soon after the abdication Baldwin announced that he would remain until shortly after the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth . On 28 May, two weeks after the Coronation, Baldwin resigned, advising

3132-434: The King to send for Chamberlain. Austen did not live to see his brother's appointment as prime minister having died two months earlier. Upon his appointment, Chamberlain considered calling a general election, but with three and a half years remaining in the current Parliament's term he decided to wait. At 68 he was the second-oldest person in the 20th century (after Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman ) to become prime minister for

3219-679: The Labour Party later played a major part in his downfall as prime minister. Baldwin called a general election for 30 May 1929, resulting in a hung parliament with Labour holding the most seats. Baldwin and his government resigned and Labour, under MacDonald, again took office. In 1931, the MacDonald government faced a serious crisis as the May Report revealed that the budget was unbalanced, with an expected shortfall of £120 million. The Labour government resigned on 24 August, and MacDonald formed

3306-553: The Munich accord and for allegedly failing to prepare the country for war. Most historians in the generation following Chamberlain's death held similar views, led by Churchill in The Gathering Storm . Some later historians have taken a more favourable perspective of Chamberlain and his policies, citing government papers released under the thirty-year rule and arguing that going to war with Germany in 1938 would have been disastrous as

3393-624: The Nationalist (pro- Franco ) side of the Spanish Civil War . By this point, the Nationalists strongly had the upper hand in that conflict, and they completed their victory the following year. Later that month, the new French prime minister, Édouard Daladier , came to London for talks with Chamberlain, and agreed to follow the British position on Czechoslovakia. In May, Czech border guards shot two Sudeten German farmers who were trying to cross

3480-693: The Poor Law boards entirely. Chamberlain spoke in the Commons for two and a half hours on the second reading of the bill, and when he concluded he was applauded by all parties. The bill passed into law. Though Chamberlain struck a conciliatory note during the 1926 General Strike , in general he had poor relations with the Labour opposition. Future Labour prime minister Clement Attlee complained that Chamberlain "always treated us like dirt," and in April 1927 Chamberlain wrote: "More and more do I feel an utter contempt for their lamentable stupidity ." His poor relations with

3567-494: The UK was unprepared. Nonetheless, Chamberlain is still unfavourably ranked amongst British prime ministers. Chamberlain was born on 18 March 1869 in a house called Southbourne in the Edgbaston district of Birmingham . He was the only son of the second marriage of Joseph Chamberlain , who later became Mayor of Birmingham and a Cabinet minister. His mother was Florence Kenrick, a cousin of William Kenrick MP ; she died when he

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3654-561: The United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party from May 1937 to October 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasement , and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement on 30 September 1938, ceding the German-speaking Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany led by Adolf Hitler . Following the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, which marked

3741-603: The United Kingdom and Ireland placed on their respective imported goods. Ireland was also to pay a final one time £10 million sum to the United Kingdom for the "land annuities" derived from financial loans originally granted to Irish tenant farmers by the British government to enable them purchase lands under the Land Acts pre-1922, a provision which was part of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (to compensate Anglo-Irish land-owners for compulsory purchase of their lands in Ireland mainly through

3828-422: The United Kingdom, had caused economic losses on both sides, and the two nations were anxious for a settlement. The de Valera government also sought to sever the remaining ties between Ireland and the UK, such as ending the King's status as Irish Head of State. As chancellor, Chamberlain had taken a hard-line stance against concessions to the Irish, but as premier sought a settlement with Ireland, being persuaded that

3915-538: The United States could be negotiated. In June 1933, Britain hosted the World Monetary and Economic Conference , which came to nothing as US president Franklin D. Roosevelt sent word that he would not consider any war debt cancellation . By 1934, Chamberlain was able to declare a budget surplus and reverse many of the cuts in unemployment compensation and civil servant salaries he had made after taking office. He told

4002-640: The West Midlands as a whole). The average house price in Ladywood is just under £155,000, much lower than the national average of just over £288,000. The constituency has undergone several boundary changes since its creation in 1918 but has remained a safe Labour seat since the Second World War , with the exception of a by-election in 1969 when Wallace Lawler won the seat for the Liberal Party and

4089-540: The approval of the House. With Austria absorbed by Germany, attention turned to Hitler's obvious next target, the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. With three million ethnic Germans, the Sudetenland represented the largest German population outside the "Reich" and Hitler began to call for the union of the region with Germany. Britain had no military obligations toward Czechoslovakia, but France and Czechoslovakia had

4176-588: The areas of Ladywood, Nechells, Bordesley & Highgate and Soho & Jewellery Quarter. The area is one of the most multicultural in Birmingham and the whole of the United Kingdom; in the 1991 census, 55.6% of the constituency population were ethnic minorities , the highest in England at the time. In the recession of 2008–09, it was the first place in the UK where the unemployment claimant count rate exceeded 10%, breaching that level in January 2009. In July 2008, Ladywood had

4263-475: The beginning of the Second World War , Chamberlain announced the declaration of war on Germany two days later and led the United Kingdom through the first eight months of the war until his resignation as prime minister on 10 May 1940. After working in business and local government, and after a short spell as Director of National Service in 1916 and 1917, Chamberlain followed his father Joseph Chamberlain and elder half-brother Austen Chamberlain in becoming

4350-460: The beleaguered Austrians requested help from Britain, none was forthcoming. Britain did send Berlin a strong note of protest. In addressing the Cabinet shortly after German forces crossed the border, Chamberlain placed blame on both Germany and Austria. Chamberlain noted, It is perfectly evident now that force is the only argument Germany understands and that "collective security" cannot offer any prospect of preventing such events until it can show

4437-613: The border from Germany into Czechoslovakia without stopping for border controls. This incident caused unrest among the Sudeten Germans, and Germany was then said to be moving troops to the border. In response to the report, Prague moved troops to the German border. Halifax sent a note to Germany warning that if France intervened in the crisis on Czechoslovakia's behalf, Britain might support France. Tensions appeared to calm, and Chamberlain and Halifax were applauded for their "masterly" handling of

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4524-693: The boundaries to take into account the revised ward structure in the City of Birmingham with effect from May 2018, the Aston ward was transferred to Birmingham Perry Barr and the North Edgbaston ward to Birmingham Edgbaston , offset by the gain of the Balsall Heath West ward from Birmingham Hall Green and the Alum Rock ward from Birmingham Hodge Hill . Birmingham Ladywood includes Birmingham City Centre along with

4611-483: The camera. Chamberlain had few friends among his parliamentary colleagues; an attempt by his parliamentary private secretary , Lord Dunglass (later prime minister himself as Alec Douglas-Home ), to bring him to the Commons Smoking Room to socialise with colleagues ended in embarrassing silence. Chamberlain compensated for these shortcomings by devising the most sophisticated press management system employed by

4698-586: The colonies and the Dominions . Joseph Chamberlain had advocated a similar policy, " Imperial Preference "; Neville Chamberlain laid his bill before the House of Commons on 4 February 1932, and concluded his address by noting the appropriateness of his seeking to enact his father's proposal. At the end of the speech, Sir Austen Chamberlain walked down from the backbenches and shook his brother's hand. The Import Duties Act 1932 passed Parliament easily. Chamberlain presented his first budget in April 1932. He maintained

4785-545: The committee's recommendation, influenced by a report from the chiefs of staff stating that there was little that Britain could do to help the Czechs in the event of a German invasion. Chamberlain reported to an amenable House that he was unwilling to limit his government's discretion by giving commitments. Britain and Italy signed an agreement on 16 April 1938. In exchange for de jure recognition of Italy's Ethiopian conquest, Italy agreed to withdraw some Italian "volunteers" from

4872-422: The controversies of the past and all the heat that has been generated, this country and Eire cannot do without one another. Our natural interests and our geographical position inevitably tend to bring us together, and what has kept us apart has been, not a divergence of interests, but something which ought to be far less important, and that is a difference of opinion. " The treaty abolished the 20% tariffs that both

4959-408: The crisis. Though it was not known at the time, it later became clear that Germany had had no plans for a May invasion of Czechoslovakia. Nonetheless, the Chamberlain government received strong and almost unanimous support from the British press. Negotiations between the Czech government and the Sudeten Germans dragged on through mid-1938. They achieved little result; Sudeten leader Konrad Henlein

5046-472: The district of the city where he was born and which was a much safer seat, which he would hold for the rest of his life. The Unionists won the election, but Chamberlain declined to serve again as chancellor, preferring his former position as Minister of Health. Within two weeks of his appointment as Minister of Health, Chamberlain presented the Cabinet with an agenda containing 25 pieces of legislation he hoped to see enacted. Before he left office in 1929, 21 of

5133-429: The event of war the British would have access. Conservative backbencher Winston Churchill attacked the agreements in Parliament for surrendering the Treaty Ports, which he described as the "sentinel towers of the Western Approaches ". When war came, de Valera denied Britain access to the Treaty Ports under Irish neutrality . Churchill railed against these treaties in The Gathering Storm , stating that he "never saw

5220-456: The few male candidates to specifically target women voters deploying his wife, issuing a special leaflet headed "A word to the Ladies" and holding two meetings in the afternoon. Chamberlain was elected with almost 70% of the vote and a majority of 6,833. He was 49 years old, which was at the time the greatest age at which any future prime minister had first been elected to the Commons. Chamberlain threw himself into parliamentary work, begrudging

5307-529: The first time, and was widely seen as a caretaker who would lead the Conservative Party until the next election and then step down in favour of a younger man, with Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden a likely candidate. From the start of Chamberlain's premiership a number of would-be successors were rumoured to be jockeying for position. Chamberlain had disliked what he considered to be the overly sentimental attitude of both Baldwin and MacDonald on Cabinet appointments and reshuffles. Although he had worked closely with

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5394-456: The first town planning schemes in Britain. The start of the First World War in 1914 prevented implementation of his plans. In 1915, Chamberlain became Lord Mayor of Birmingham . Apart from his father Joseph, five of Chamberlain's uncles had also attained the chief Birmingham civic dignity: they were Joseph's brother Richard Chamberlain , William and George Kenrick, Charles Beale , who had been four times Lord Mayor and Sir Thomas Martineau . As

5481-468: The highest unemployment rate in the whole of the West Midlands (by the international standardised measure, which is usually higher than the claimant count) at just over 18%, compared with neighbouring Birmingham seats Perry Barr (8.1%), Sparkbrook and Small Heath (13.9%), and Yardley (7%). For the year ending September 2014, the unemployment rate was 12.4%, although the employment rate had increased only slightly, from 46.1% to 46.6% (compared with 69.7% for

5568-431: The immediately surrounding period when its majority was marginal . The seat was regained for Labour by Doris Fisher at the 1970 general election . The 2015 general election result made the seat the sixth-safest of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority. The constituency's first MP was the future Conservative Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , who transferred to the Edgbaston seat in 1929. The current MP

5655-406: The importance of 'providing some interest in life for the large numbers of men never likely to get work', and out of this realisation was to come the responsibility of the UAB for the 'welfare', not merely the maintenance, of the unemployed." Defence spending had been heavily cut in Chamberlain's early budgets. By 1935, faced with a resurgent Germany under Hitler's leadership, he was convinced of

5742-414: The intent of co-ordinating the passage of legislation through the current Parliament, the term of which was to expire in November 1940. At the time of his appointment, Chamberlain's personality was not well known to the public, though he had made annual budget broadcasts for six years. According to Chamberlain biographer Robert Self, these appeared relaxed and modern, showing an ability to speak directly to

5829-432: The latter were attacked, an alliance that brought his country into war after the German invasion of Poland. The failure of Allied forces to prevent the German invasion of Norway caused the House of Commons to hold the historic Norway Debate in May 1940. Chamberlain's conduct of the war was heavily criticised by members of all parties and, in a vote of confidence, his government's majority was greatly reduced. Accepting that

5916-491: The need for rearmament. Chamberlain especially urged the strengthening of the Royal Air Force , realising that Britain's historical bulwark, the English Channel , was no defence against air power. In 1935, MacDonald stood down as prime minister, and Baldwin became prime minister for the third time. In the 1935 general election , the Conservative-dominated National Government lost 90 seats from its massive 1931 majority, but still retained an overwhelming majority of 255 in

6003-480: The new position of Director of National Service , with responsibility for co-ordinating conscription and ensuring that essential war industries were able to function with sufficient workforces. His tenure was marked by conflict with Lloyd George; in August 1917, having received little support from the Prime Minister, Chamberlain resigned. The relationship between Chamberlain and Lloyd George would, thereafter, be one of mutual hatred. Chamberlain decided to stand for

6090-502: The office before the Conservatives were defeated at the 1923 general election . Ramsay MacDonald became the first-ever Labour prime minister, but his government fell within months, necessitating another general election . By a margin of only 77 votes, Chamberlain narrowly defeated the Labour candidate, Oswald Mosley , who later led the British Union of Fascists . Believing he would lose if he stood again in Birmingham Ladywood, Chamberlain arranged to be adopted for Birmingham Edgbaston ,

6177-425: The other hand, wished to retain the Treaty Ports, at least in time of war, and to obtain the money that Ireland had agreed to pay. The Irish proved very tough negotiators, so much so that Chamberlain complained that one of de Valera's offers had "presented United Kingdom ministers with a three-leafed shamrock, none of the leaves of which had any advantages for the UK." With the talks facing deadlock, Chamberlain made

6264-545: The outbreak of war in 1939. Likewise, the raising of the school-leaving age to 15, scheduled for implementation on 1 September 1939, did not go into effect. Relations between the United Kingdom and the Irish Free State had been strained since the 1932 appointment of Éamon de Valera as President of the Executive Council . The Anglo-Irish Trade War , sparked by the withholding of money that Ireland had agreed to pay

6351-569: The settlement of European issues was the hope it would allow him to concentrate on domestic affairs. Soon after attaining the premiership, Chamberlain obtained passage of the Factories Act 1937 . This Act was aimed at bettering working conditions in factories, and placed limits on the working hours of women and children. In 1938, Parliament enacted the Coal Act 1938 , which allowed for nationalisation of coal deposits. Another major law passed that year

6438-399: The severe budget cuts that had been agreed at the inception of the National Government. Interest on the war debt was a major cost. Chamberlain reduced the annual interest rate on most of Britain's war debt from 5% to 3.5%. Between 1932 and 1938, Chamberlain halved the percentage of the budget devoted to interest on the war debt. Chamberlain hoped that a cancellation of the war debt owed to

6525-481: The strained ties were affecting relations with other Dominions. Talks had been suspended under Baldwin in 1936 but resumed in November 1937. De Valera sought not only to alter the constitutional status of Ireland, but to overturn other aspects of the Anglo-Irish Treaty , most notably the issue of partition , as well as obtaining full control of the three " Treaty Ports " which had remained in British control. Britain, on

6612-696: The tension between this country and Italy as a very valuable contribution toward the pacification and appeasement of Europe" which would "weaken the Rome–Berlin axis ." Chamberlain also set up a private line of communication with the Italian "Duce" Benito Mussolini through the Italian Ambassador, Count Dino Grandi . In February 1938, Hitler began to press the Austrian government to accept Anschluss or union between Germany and Austria. Chamberlain believed that it

6699-549: The times when he was unable to attend debates and spending much time on committee work. He was chairman of the national Unhealthy Areas Committee (1919–21) and in that role, had visited the slums of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Cardiff. Consequently, in March 1920, Bonar Law offered him a junior post at the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Prime Minister, but Chamberlain was unwilling to serve under Lloyd George and

6786-408: Was a small boy. Joseph Chamberlain had had another son, Austen Chamberlain , by his first marriage. The Chamberlain family were Unitarian, though Joseph lost personal religious faith by the time Neville was six years old and never required religious adherence of his children. Neville, who disliked attending worship services of any kind and showed no interest in organised religion, described himself as

6873-513: Was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in the National Government in 1931. Chamberlain succeeded Stanley Baldwin as prime minister on 28 May 1937. His premiership was dominated by the question of policy towards an increasingly aggressive Germany, and his actions at Munich were widely popular among the British at the time. In response to Hitler's continued aggression, Chamberlain pledged the United Kingdom to defend Poland's independence if

6960-602: Was essential to cement relations with Italy in the hope that an Anglo–Italian alliance would forestall Hitler from imposing his rule over Austria. Eden believed that Chamberlain was being too hasty in talking with Italy and holding out the prospect of de jure recognition of Italy's conquest of Ethiopia. Chamberlain concluded that Eden would have to accept his policy or resign. The Cabinet heard both men out but unanimously decided for Chamberlain, and despite efforts by other Cabinet members to prevent it, Eden resigned from office. In later years, Eden tried to portray his resignation as

7047-480: Was in no hurry to talk to Britain. Foreign Minister Konstantin von Neurath was supposed to visit Britain in July 1937 but cancelled his visit. Lord Halifax , the Lord President of the Council , visited Germany privately in November and met Hitler and other German officials. Both Chamberlain and British Ambassador to Germany Nevile Henderson pronounced the visit a success. Foreign Office officials complained that

7134-462: Was no point in attempting further negotiations until after Hitler's speech. The mission never resumed. Birmingham Ladywood (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1910s Birmingham Ladywood is a constituency in the city of Birmingham that was created in 1918. The seat has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by Shabana Mahmood of

7221-633: Was offered no further posts during Lloyd George's premiership. When Law resigned as party leader, Austen Chamberlain took his place as head of the Unionists in Parliament. Unionist leaders were willing to fight the 1922 election in coalition with the Lloyd George National Liberals , but on 19 October, Unionist MPs held a meeting at which they voted to fight the election as a single party. Lloyd George resigned, as did Austen Chamberlain, and Law

7308-600: Was recalled from retirement to lead the Unionists as prime minister. Many high-ranking Unionists refused to serve under Law to the benefit of Chamberlain, who rose over the course of ten months from backbencher to Chancellor of the Exchequer. Law initially appointed Chamberlain Postmaster General and Chamberlain was sworn of the Privy Council . When Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen , the Minister of Health, lost his seat in

7395-509: Was the Holidays with Pay Act 1938 . Though the Act only recommended that employers give workers a week off with pay, it led to a great expansion of holiday camps and other leisure accommodation for the working classes. The Housing Act 1938 provided subsidies aimed at encouraging slum clearance and maintained rent control . Chamberlain's plans for the reform of local government were shelved because of

7482-479: Was to be his constant companion, helper, and trusted colleague, fully sharing his interests in housing and other political and social activities after his election as an MP. The couple had a son and a daughter. Chamberlain initially showed little interest in politics, though his father and half-brother were in Parliament. During the " Khaki election " of 1900 he made speeches in support of Joseph Chamberlain's Liberal Unionists . The Liberal Unionists were allied with

7569-452: Was under private instructions from Hitler not to reach an agreement. On 3 August, Walter Runciman (by now Lord Runciman) travelled to Prague as a mediator sent by the British government. Over the next two weeks, Runciman met separately with Henlein, Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš , and other leaders, but made no progress. On 30 August, Chamberlain met his Cabinet and Ambassador Henderson and secured their backing—with only First Lord of

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