Key People- Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850)

Sir Robert Peel is often credited with starting the climax of social reform in Britain. Despite not being born into aristocracy, he was well educated and academically advanced. He worked to pass significant legislation for the working class, entirely changing society in Britain- cut working hours for women and children, made rail services cheap and organised, established proper policing in London. 

Before Premiership

• His Father was a wealthy cotton mill owner and MP- had high hopes for Peel to get into politics and one day become PM
• Bought Peel a seat a Westminster
• He was elected for MP for the first time at a very young age (20) 
• Strongly opposed Catholic Emancipation  at the time and was against the union between Ireland and Britain
• Became Home Secretary in 1822- introduced reforms in criminal law which meant about 100 were now no longer sentenced using the death penalty, inmates were provided with education 
• He was kept on as Home Secretary under Wellington in 1828 
• After 20 years, he changed his views of Catholic Emancipation under Wellington and helped push the Catholic Emancipation Bill through Parliament- this shocked many 
• In 1829 he created the first ever Metropolitan Police- this is how police officers came to colloquially be known as a 'bobby' and 'peeler'
• Under Lord Grey he argued against reform, his relationship with Grey worsened when the Reform Act was passed in 1832
• When Lord Grey resigned in 1834 William IV offered Peel the opportunity to form a government- Peel turned it down 
• In 1835 he accepted a second request and was appointed as PM

His First Term (1834-1835)

• Peel Changed his attitude to the Reform Act and declared his support for it- Peel's Tory government was clearly going to fall into the Liberal Tory category 
• This transformation can be linked back the his Tamworth Manifesto- delivered at the start of his time in office 
• Despite being in power, his government had won a small majority and were wildly outnumbered in Parliament 
• Peel found this humiliating to the point of it being unbearable- this, as well as numerous defeats due to constant Whig opposition in Parliament lead to his resignation in April 1835
• In this time Peel did however set up the Ecclesiastical Commission- ironed out any anomalies and wrong doings within the church, this strengthened the Anglican Church against Radicals 
• The Whigs even used this once they returned to office

His Second Term (1841-1846)

• It is likely thanks to the newly enfranchised people in the countryside and industrial towns who had faith in Peel's forward thinking, liberal approach to Politics that his new Conservative Party won the election by a good majority 
• Conditions in Britain had deteriorated since his first term- the country was still crippled by debt, there was a shortage of jobs, international trade was suffering, mortality rates were up, etc.
• Peel made plans to loosen restrictions on trade which allow some recovery
• His government pushed through important, 'radical' legislation during this time such as the Mines Act 1842 (women and children were no longer allowed underground), the Factory Act 1844 (limited working hours for women and children)
• 1845- He attempted to repeal the Corn Laws in order to help the famine in Ireland, and as there had been multiple consecutive poor harvests- they needed to start importing food again to have enough to go around, they could no longer rely on British agriculture
• His party did not support this attempt, landowners felt personally attacked- it took months of debating, and support from Whigs and Radicals to finally get them repealed the next year
• Peel faced defeat on a different Bill on the same day- he later resigned and this time did not return to office 

For More on Peel and the Liberal Tories, Click Here