F E Smith - Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

Smith twice unsuccessfully stood for Parliament in Liverpool, for Scotland Division in a bye-election in 1903, and for Walton Division in 1905 before he entered the House of Commons representing Walton in 1906. He attracted attention by a brilliant maiden speech, "I warn the Government." After this speech, Tim Healy, the Irish Nationalist, a master of parliamentary invective, sent Smith a note, "I am old, and you are young, but you have beaten me at my own game." He did not support restriction on the powers of the House of Lords fearing that tyranny could result from an unchecked unicameral parliament. He was soon a prominent leader of the Unionist wing of the Conservative Party, especially in the planned Ulster resistance to Irish Home Rule in 1912–14, during which time he was known as 'Galloper Smith'.

Smith was also a vociferous opponent of the Disestablishment of the Welsh portions of the Church of England, calling the Welsh Disestablishment Bill introduced into parliament in 1913 “a bill which has shocked the conscience of every Christian community in Europe”. This prompted G. K. Chesterton to write a satirical poem, “Antichrist, Or the Reunion of Christendom: An Ode”, which asked if Breton sailors, Russian peasants and Christians evicted by the Turks would know or care of what happened to the Anglican Church of Wales, and answered the question with the line “Chuck it, Smith”. The bill was approved by parliament, under the provisions of the Parliamentary Act of 1911 but its implementation delayed by the outbreak of the First World War. When it was finally implemented in 1920, Smith was part of the Lloyd George Coalition that did so.

Following abolition of the Walton seat in constituency boundary changes, Smith was returned at the December 1918 General Election for neighbouring West Derby Division, only to go up to the House of Lords two months later.