In 1834 Sir Robert Peel produced the world's first political manifesto when he was about to become Prime Minister, for the benefit of the electorate in Tamworth for which he was the Member of Parliament, but had no time to get there personally. It set out what he intended to do whilst in office and was read out to the assembled people from the steps of Tamworth Town Hall. Peel himself managed to get there a few weeks later on January 11th 1835, and we intend to mark that occasion with an event, possibly at the Town Hall, on Saturday 11th January 2025- i.e. 190 years later. Arrangements are still being made so watch this space . . . .
d. . . . .
December 8th- We are pleased to confirm that Alistair, Lord Lexden has agreed to give a talk explaining the importance of Peel's Tamworth Manifesto on the morning of Saturday 11th January at Tamworth's Castle Hotel, beginning at 11am, hopefully followed by a visit into the Town Hall from where the manifesto was first read to the Tamworth voters.
Tickets are free and can be obtained from committee member Greg Clarke at: gclarke1946@gmail.com.
Lord Lexden has inserted the following text onto his own website:-
'TAMWORTH- Commemorating the first and most famous election manifesto- 190 years ago'.
On 16th December 1834, Sir Robert Peel. the first leader of the modern Conservative Party, wrote as follows to the electors of his Tamworth constiuency in Staffordshire-
"Gentlemen, on the 26th of November last, being then in Rome, I received from his Majesty (King William 4th) a summons, wholly unforseen and unexpected by me, to return to England without delay, for the purpose of assisting His Majesty in the formation of a new government."
For the last time in British history, a Prime Minister had been sacked by the Monarch. Peel was appointed in his place and immediately called a general election. His letter to the Tamworth electors set out the broad objectives of Conservative Part policy. Nothing like this had ever been done before. Peel had invented a new way of appealing to the electorate. His Tamworth Manifesto did not bring him an overall majority at the election in early 1835, but it introduced what would become a vital component of British election campaigns.