Fourth Party
Encyclopedia
The "Fourth Party" was a label given to a quartet of British MPs, Lord Randolph Churchill
, Henry Drummond Wolff
, John Gorst
and Arthur Balfour
, in the 1880-1885 parliament.
They attacked what they saw as the weakness of both the Liberal
government and the Conservative opposition. Despite the label, they were all backbench members of the Conservative Party
.
In the view of The New York Times
, they would "act as skirmishers to the main body, popping out here and there to fire a shot at the Government and being ostensibly rebuked but really supported by the Conservative leaders."
The later Conservative Party faction known as the Hughligans
was "a self-conscious attempt to recreate the 'Fourth Party'", according to Rhodri Williams
.
Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill MP was a British statesman. He was the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane , daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry...
, Henry Drummond Wolff
Henry Drummond Wolff
Sir Henry Drummond-Wolff GCB, GCMG, PC was an English diplomat and Conservative Party politician, who started as a clerk in the Foreign Office.-Background:Wolff was the son of Georgiana Mary and Joseph Wolff...
, John Gorst
John Eldon Gorst
Sir John Eldon Gorst PC, QC, FRS was a British lawyer and politician. He served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1885 to 1886 and as Vice-President of the Committee on Education between 1895 and 1902....
and Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, in the 1880-1885 parliament.
They attacked what they saw as the weakness of both the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
government and the Conservative opposition. Despite the label, they were all backbench members of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
In the view of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, they would "act as skirmishers to the main body, popping out here and there to fire a shot at the Government and being ostensibly rebuked but really supported by the Conservative leaders."
The later Conservative Party faction known as the Hughligans
Hughligans
The Hughligans were a faction of the British Conservative Party in the early 20th century.The name is a pun on the word hooligan and "Hugh", as in Lord Hugh Cecil , one of the faction's leaders. The Hughligans were a group of backbench Conservative MPs who were dissatisfied with the leadership of...
was "a self-conscious attempt to recreate the 'Fourth Party'", according to Rhodri Williams
Rhodri Williams
Rhodri Williams is a Welsh sports journalist from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.He was a main anchor for Sky channel Sky Sports News and was one of Sky's main rugby presenters - hosting the Heineken Cup and Southern Hemisphere rugby including the Tri Nations, the NPC in New Zealand and the...
.