1924 vote of no confidence against the government of Ramsay MacDonald
The 1924 vote of no confidence in the government of Ramsay MacDonald was a vote of censure against the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald as a consequence of the withdrawal of proceedings by His Majesty's Attorney General Sir Patrick Hastings MP in the Campbell case. It was one of only three votes of confidence lost by a government in the 20th century.[1]
Motion and Vote
| Yes votes | 364 |
|---|---|
| No votes | 198 |
Although the actual motion of censure moved by Sir Robert Horne MP in the terms: "That the conduct of His Majesty's Government in relation to the institution and subsequent withdrawal of criminal proceedings against the editor of the 'Workers' Weekly' is deserving of the censure of this House" was expressly rejected by 198 votes to 359, an alternative motion proposed by Sir John Simon MP "That a Select Committee be appointed to investigate and report upon the circumstances leading up to the withdrawal of the proceedings recently instituted by the Director of Public Prosecutions against Mr. Campbell" was passed by 364 to 198.[2] The government however, had made clear that they regarded both motions as votes of confidence [3] and thus MacDonald requested and obtained a dissolution on the following day.
Aftermath
The consequence of the vote was the third general election in three years. Dominated by the publication of the infamous Zinoviev Letter shortly before polling day and scares over Labour connections with Bolshevik Russia, the Conservatives were returned to power with a majority of 208. They remained in office for the duration of the next Parliament. However, this spectacular success was predominantly at the expense of the Liberals who lost 118 seats rather than Labour. The latter lost only 40 seats and gained a million new votes compared to 1923. Thus the long-term consequence of the vote was the permanent supersession of the Liberals by Labour as the Official Opposition to Baldwin's Conservatives.
