Timeline of liberal parties in the United Kingdom

This text is part of the Liberalism series (III)

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This Timeline of liberal parties in the United Kingdom is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly shown by having had representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ indicates a reference to another party in that scheme. Parties printed in italic are parties outside the liberal spectrum. For inclusion in this timeline it isn't necessary that parties labelled themselves as a liberal party.

Great Britain

Levellers

• 1647: The proto-liberal Levellers are formed
• 1653: The Levellers disappeared

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Liberals 1 or Liberal Democrats

• 1681: The Whigs constituted themselves
• 1859: The Whigs merged with the ⇒ Peelites and ⇒ Radicals into the Liberal Party
• 1886: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Unionist Party
• 1918: The party fell apart into the National Liberals
• 1923: The National Liberals and the ⇒ Independent Liberals rejoined into the Liberal Party
• 1931: A faction formed the ⇒ Liberal National Party; Another faction centred on Lloyd George and his family became Independent Liberals
• 1935: Lloyd George's Independent Liberals rejoined with the rest of the Liberal Party
• 1988: The Liberal Party merged with Social Democratic Party into present-day Liberal Democrats, the new ⇒ Liberal Party seceded

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Radicals

• 1830s: The Radicals became active and allied themselves with the ⇒ Whigs
• 1859: The Radicals merged into the new ⇒ Liberal Party

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Peelites

• 1840s: The Peelites seceded from the Tories
• 1859: The Peelites merged into the new ⇒ Liberal Party

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Liberal Unionists

• 1886: A moderate faction of the ⇒ Liberal Party formed the Liberal Unionist Party
• 1912: The LUP merged into the present-day Conservative Party

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Independent Liberals 1

• 1918: A faction of the ⇒ Liberal Party formed the Liberal National Party
• 1947: The LNP is renamed National Liberal Party' and formally merges with the Conservative Party; however some MPs and candidates continue to use the National Liberal label (and variants thereof) for the next twenty years
• 1966: The last self-identified National Liberals end the use of the title and disappear into the Conservative Party

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Independent Liberals 2

• 1931: A faction formed the ⇒ Liberal National Party; Another faction centred on Lloyd George and his family became Independent Liberals
• 1935: Lloyd George's Independent Liberals rejoined with the rest of the Liberal Party

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Liberals 2

• 1988: A faction of the old ⇒ Liberal party formed the new Liberal Party

Northern Ireland

Alliance

• 1969: The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is formed
• 1982: The Liberal Party fields its last candidate in a Northern Ireland election and subsequently endorses Alliance candidates instead.

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See also

• History of the United Kingdom
• Politics of the United Kingdom
• List of political parties in the United Kingdom