05 December 1916

H.H. Asquith resigns as Prime Minister

The crisis that led to the Prime Minister’s resignation had been building for over a month. Concern at the military weakness in the British army at the Battle of the Somme led Lloyd George to call for a restructuring of the War Council with himself as chairman. Although not completely opposed to Lloyd George’s proposals, Asquith could not accept that the Prime Minister would not chair the Council nor continue to be a member of it. Protracted negotiations ensued until Lloyd George forced the issue by tendering his resignation. The Unionist ministers sided with Lloyd George and indicated their preparedness to serve in a government headed by Lloyd George. This was the last straw for Asquith and at 7pm he saw King George V to offer his resignation.