Coalition Coupon facts for kids

The Coalition Coupon was a special letter sent to politicians running for Parliament in the 1918 United Kingdom general election. This letter showed that they were officially supported by the Coalition Government.

The 1918 election happened right after World War I ended. Everyone was excited about the victory and many people felt strongly against Germany. Getting this "coupon" letter made people see a candidate as patriotic. This helped them win the election. Candidates who did not get the letter had a harder time. Sometimes, people thought they were against the war.

All the letters were dated 20 November 1918. They were signed by Prime Minister David Lloyd George from the Coalition Liberals. They were also signed by Bonar Law, the leader of the Conservative Party. Because of this letter, the 1918 election is often called "the coupon election."

Why was it called a "Coupon"?

The name "coupon" was first used by Liberal leader H. H. Asquith. He used the word to make fun of the idea. People were very familiar with coupons because of rationing during the war. This was when food and other items were in short supply.

What did the letter say?

All the letters had the same simple message. It was like a short note of approval:

Dear ...

We have much pleasure in recognizing you as the Coalition Candidate for (name of constituency).
We have every hope that the Electors will return you as their Representative in Parliament to support the government in the great task which lies before it.

Yours truly,

D. Lloyd George

A. Bonar Law

Some politicians who received the coupon even put the words of this letter in their election speeches.

Who got the Coupon?

Before the election, there were secret talks. These talks were between Lloyd George's main organizer, Freddie Guest, and George Younger. Younger was the Chairman of the Conservative Party. They agreed that about 150 Liberal politicians would get the support of the Prime Minister and the Conservative leader.

According to a book by Trevor Wilson, 159 Liberal candidates actually received the coupon. A few of these were Independent Liberals. These were Liberals who supported Asquith, not Lloyd George. Out of those who got the coupon, 136 were elected to Parliament. But only 29 Liberals who did not get the coupon won their seats.

Besides Liberals and Conservatives, some letters also went to Labour Party members who supported the Coalition. However, most of these were not supported by the main official Labour Party. Some letters also went to members of the National Democratic Party. This was a patriotic party for working-class people.

How did it affect politicians?

Margaret Cole, who wrote about that time, explained how the coupon affected people. Many good and patriotic politicians did not get the coupon. This included some sitting Liberal and Labour Members of Parliament (MPs). They were then seen as being against the war or as pacifists. A pacifist is someone who believes war is wrong.

For example, Percy Harris was an MP for Harborough. He had been an MP since 1916. When his Conservative opponent received the coupon, people in his area thought something was wrong with him. They assumed he must have done something bad if the Liberal Prime Minister supported his rival.

Most historians now agree that the coupon decided the fate of many Liberals. Those Liberals whom Lloyd George chose not to support were left without help. They had to compete against Coalition candidates. These candidates could claim to represent the strong feeling of national unity and patriotism. This feeling was very strong in Britain after the war ended.

The election results were very bad for the Independent Liberals who supported Asquith. They lost almost all their seats in the Coupon election. Only 28 of them were elected. Even Asquith himself lost his seat in East Fife. He had held that seat since the 1886 election.