Coalition Coupon

The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 elections, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in the First World War and the desire for revenge against Germany and its allies. Receiving the coupon was interpreted by the electorate as a sign of patriotism that helped candidates gain election, while those who did not receive it had a more difficult time as they were sometimes seen as anti-war or pacifist. The letters were all dated 20 November 1918 and were signed by prime minister David Lloyd George for the Coalition Liberals and Andrew Bonar Law, the leader of the Conservative Party. As a result, the 1918 general election has become known as 'the coupon election'.

The ‘Coupon’

The name ‘coupon’ was coined by Liberal leader H H Asquith, disparagingly using the jargon of rationing with which people were familiar in the context of wartime shortages.