Second MacDonald ministry

The Second MacDonald Ministry was formed by Ramsay MacDonald on his second appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 5 June 1929. It was only the second occasion on which the Labour Party had formed a government; the First MacDonald Ministry held office during 1924.

Background

The government formed lacked a parliamentary majority, gaining 288 seats with 8,300,000 votes compared to the Conservatives' 255 seats with 8,560,000 votes – a wide disparity in seats won versus votes cast, created by the outcome on boundaries at the time under the first past the post electoral system. The last boundary change was contained in the Representation of the People Act 1918. MacDonald thus had a minority government that needed Lloyd-George's 58 Liberal MPs' support to pass any legislation. His ministers rapidly faced the problems stemming from the impact of the Great Depression. On the one hand, international bankers insisted that strict budget limits be kept, on the other trade unions and, particularly, unemployed workers' organisations carried on regular and massive protest actions, including a series of hunger marches.