Hughligans facts for kids

The Hughligans were a group of young politicians in the British Conservative Party in the early 1900s. They were known for being a bit rebellious and challenging the leaders of their own party.

The name "Hughligans" is a clever play on words. It combines "Hugh," from Lord Hugh Cecil, who was one of their main leaders, and "hooligan." A hooligan is someone who acts in a wild or disruptive way. This name was given to them because of their sometimes bold actions in Parliament.

Who Were the Hughligans?

The Hughligans were a group of MPs who sat on the "backbenches" of the House of Commons. This means they were not part of the government's main leadership team. They felt that the leader of the Conservative Party, Arthur Balfour, was not strong enough.

Lord Hugh Cecil was a key figure in the group. He was the younger son of a former Conservative leader, the Marquess of Salisbury. Other important members included F.E. Smith, Earl Percy, Arthur Stanley, Ian Malcolm, and Lord George Hamilton.

Interestingly, Winston Churchill was also connected with this group for a time. This was before he left the Conservative Party in 1904 to join the Liberal Party.

Their Reputation

Randolph Churchill, the son of Winston Churchill, wrote about the Hughligans in his father's biography. He said they could be "outrageous in their Parliamentary manners." This means they sometimes acted in ways that surprised or even shocked others in Parliament. Critics then started calling them "Hughligans," or "Hooligans."

Challenging the Leaders

After the Conservative government lost power in 1905, the Hughligans became strong opponents of Arthur Balfour. They believed he was not fighting hard enough against the new Liberal government, led by H. H. Asquith.

The 1911 Parliament Incident

The Hughligans are most famous for an event in July 1911. At this time, there was a big disagreement about changing the rules of the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the British Parliament.

During a debate in the House of Commons, Lord Hugh Cecil and F.E. Smith led a planned disruption. They made so much noise and caused such a disturbance that Prime Minister Asquith could not speak for half an hour. He just stood silently at the dispatch box, waiting for the noise to stop.

This incident was very embarrassing for Arthur Balfour, the Conservative leader. It showed that he did not have full control over his own party. This event helped speed up Balfour's decision to retire as party leader, which was exactly what Lord Hugh Cecil had hoped for.