#OTD 1916: Sir Francis Blake, a Northumberland landowner and barrister, becomes Liberal MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed at a by-election caused by the elevation to the peerage as Viscount Grey of Falloden, of the sitting MP, Sir Edward Grey.

#OTD 1792: Birth of PM Lord John Russell (1846-5 & 1865-66), who was also instrumental in passing the 1832 Reform Act. His two spells as PM weren't particularly happy or productive, but his first administration introduced the 1847 Factory Act & the 1848 Public Health Act.

#OTD 1914: Birth of Arthur Holt, Liberal MP for Bolton West 1951-64. Along with Donald Wade in Huddersfield, Holt owed his election to a pact with local Conservatives. He served as Liberal Chief Whip 1962-63 and President of the Liberal Party 1974-75.

#OTD 1928: Death of Richard Haldane, Liberal MP for Haddingtonshire 1885-1911. Along with H.H. Asquith and Edward Grey, he was a key member of the Liberal Imperialist group at the turn of the 20th century. He later joined the first Labour cabinet as Lord Chancellor in 1924.

#OTD 1924: The Times reports that Viscount Grey of Fallodon has resigned as Liberal leader in the House of Lords for what it described as personal reasons, probably poor health and failing eyesight, which meant that he could neither attend nor contribute to debates as he wished.

#OTD 1946: Liberal Party headquarters announces that the party executive had adopted a plan to secure a Liberal majority at the next general election with 600 candidates backed by 600 active associations. By 1947, 500 active associations existed vs only 200 eight months earlier.

#OTD 1892: John Morley is appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland in Gladstone's last administration, having briefly served in this post in 1886. He was famous for writing monographs on Voltaire, Rousseau, Edmund Burke and Robert Walpole, plus a three-volume biography of Gladstone.

#OTD 1995: Death of Arthur Holt, Liberal MP for Bolton West 1951-64. Holt served as Liberal Chief Whip 1962-63 and President of the Liberal Party 1974-75.

#OTD 1931: Ramsay MacDonald obtains the King's consent to form an all-party National Government. Liberal leader Sir Herbert Samuel and Rufus Isaacs agree to become members of the cabinet, and are formally appointed Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary respectively two days later.

#OTD 1916: Frederick William Mallalieu becomes Liberal MP for Colne Valley, returned unopposed in a by-election, after his predecessor Charles Leach was declared insane. Leach remains the only MP to be deprived of his seat having been declared of unsound mind.