National Government (United Kingdom) - The Caretaker Government of 1945

The Caretaker Government of 1945

In May 1945, following the defeat of Germany the coalition government broke up and Churchill formed a new administration, including Conservatives, Liberal Nationals and various non-party individuals who had been previously appointed to Ministerial posts. However, significantly, with the exception of the Earl of Rosebery there were no other Liberal Nationals in the Cabinet - excluding even the Lord Chancellor Lord Simon. This government nevertheless used the title National Government and could be seen as the heir to the 1930s governments, even though the personnel were very different. The government fought the 1945 general election as a National Government but lost.

Following the defeat, elements of the old National Government 'all party coalition' idea continued with Sir John Anderson (elected as a National M.P.) and Gwilym Lloyd-George - a former Liberal M.P. who now sat as an Independent Liberal - occupying important positions in Churchill's Shadow Cabinet team. In addition the Liberal Nationals (National Liberals from 1947-48 onwards) also kept a semi-separate existence and didn't finally disappear until 1968 - the last political legacy of what happened in the crisis of August 1931.