Coalition Coupon - Who Received The Coupon?

Who Received The Coupon?

Following confidential negotiations between Lloyd George’s Coalition Chief Whip, Freddie Guest, and Bonar Law over the summer of 1918, it was agreed that 150 Liberals were to be offered the support of the prime minister and the leader of the Conservative Party at the next general election. The consensus is that the number, apparently Lloyd George’s own suggestion, was a generous allocation on the part of the Unionists, given their preponderance in the coalition.

According to the figures recorded in Wilson’s book, The Downfall of the Liberal Party, 159 Liberal candidates received the ‘coupon’. A few of these were Independent Liberals, supporters of H H Asquith. Of those Liberals receiving the ‘coupon’ 136 were elected, whereas only 29 who did not receive the ‘coupon’ were returned to Parliament.

In addition to the Liberal and Conservative candidates who received the ‘coupon’ some letters were also sent to Labour supporters of the Coalition (although most were repudiated by the official Labour Party) and some to members of the patriotic, working class party the National Democratic Party.