27 January 1910

J.A. Pease discusses new seats for defeated ministers

Following the loss of his seat in the January general election, Chief Whip J.A. Pease has a meeting with the Prime Minister. He recorded in his diary, ‘Saw Asquith about 4 o’clock & had an hour’s chat with him. He urged me to find seats for myself Seely & Acland, but – T.W. Russell, Sir Henry Norman and R.K. Causton would have to wait. I suggested Houghton le Spring for me. Rotherham for Acland an Ilkeston for Seely. Asquith said he could give a peerage to Holland and to Furness who deserved it, but Sir Walter Foster (Ilkeston) was too poor. I said I could not stand for Hartlepool nor Seely either without risk of the loss of the seat’. In the end Holland, the MP for Rotherham, stood down and Pease, newly promoted to the cabinet, was returned unopposed at the subsequent by-election. In July Holland was raised to the peerage as Baron Rotherham.