Worth Remembering is a dive into the history of Stirling, Scotland and beyond. Looking at everything from legendary battles to old folktales, because every story is worth remembering.
It may be somewhat shocking to hear that Stirling had a Prime Minister at all and even more surprising to learn that he was the first.
But indeed, Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman, member of parliament for the Stirling Burghs for over 40 years, became the first official Prime Minister in 1905. Up until that point, the term was informally used and not written in any legislation.
Sir Henry Campbell (Or CB as he was sometimes known) was a man of many firsts and a majorly progressive Prime Minister who laid much of the foundations for the course of the 20th century.
From military reforms that allowed Britain to win WWI to the origins of the welfare state, Campbell’s legacy is outsized but largely remains obscure to this day.
Today we’ll look at what Stirling’s forgotten Prime Minister achieved and how his decisions influenced the course of the 20th century and today.
The road to Number 10
Campbell was born in Glasgow on the 7 September 1836 to a Conservative family. His father was a businessman and, soon after Campbell’s birth, became the Lord Provost of Glasgow.
Sir Henry attended Glasgow University and then, as all Prime Ministers do, went to Trinity College at Cambridge where his conservative upbringing was largely undone.
Radicalised by many of his classmates, he returned to Scotland in 1858, married a young woman named Charlotte Bruce and began to work in his family’s firm where he earned a reputation for laziness and idleness.
Campbell’s real passion clearly lay in politics. Members of his family had political experience working with the Tories in Glasgow but Campbell supported the Liberal party, which he would remain a member of for the rest of his life.
Ten years after his return to Scotland, he started his political career in Stirling. Then, as now, it was a heavily liberal area that had never voted for the conservatives up until that point and was exclusively contested by the Liberals.
Campbell ran in a by-election in April 1868 where he lost narrowly, but in the general election later that year, he managed to win with a significant majority against the same man he had previously lost to. He would then go on to faithfully serve Stirling for the next 40 years.
Entering Parliament
As a member of the ruling Liberal party, Campbell worked diligently and quickly rose through the ranks of parliament. Though he was hardly a great orator and frequently patronised, by 1884 he was offered a major opportunity: becoming the Irish Chief Secretary.
While it was a position of great authority, the contention surrounding Ireland was one of the biggest political issues in the UK at the time. Campbell himself supported home-rule and even as the issue brought down the government, was able to establish himself as an effective and diligent minister.
That reputation allowed him to become Minister for War in 1886 which is where Campbell earned his knighthood. Interestingly though, it was not because of any great military victory or heroism.
Instead, it was convincing the old and stubborn Duke of Cambridge to resign from being Commander-in-chief of the army that convinced Queen Victoria to knight him. The Duke of Cambridge had held the position for 40 years and Campbell convinced him to leave it in a matter of just 6 weeks.
Hurdles Along the Way
Despite his success in the ministry, Campbell was far from ambitious. After the Liberal Government fell, his goal was to become Speaker of the House, away from partisan conflicts. This was denied, because he was seen as indispensable to the liberals.
In spite of this, he was still severely under-estimated and wasn’t taken as a serious contender for leader of the Liberal party. Even when he became leader in 1899, many still assumed he was a transitional figure until a more suitable and vigorous candidate could be found.
Yet it was at the onset of the Second Boer War where Sir Henry was able to establish a name for himself as Leader of the Opposition. That war, which initially had been going quite well for the British, had now turned to disaster,
The British Army, one of the most powerful in the world, was losing to a group of poorly-trained farmers in South Africa and was committing atrocities in an effort to turn the tide. Yet the Liberal party was split on the issue.
Campbell, however, was a humanitarian and spoke out publicly against the war crimes being committed by the British, including the first ever use of concentration camps. It led to a split in his party but gained him much public support.
And so, when the Government resigned in 1905, Campbell happily accepted the premiership and 5 days later, became the first official Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The First Prime Minister
Campbell had become PM without winning an election and so, set to work campaigning almost immediately. He formed a wide coalition, secured the support of the Irish and promised great reforms.
The efforts were rewarded immensely in the 1906 election which proved disastrous for the Conservatives. The Liberals gained over 200 seats and the Conservatives had the lowest level of seats in their history, a record not broken until the 2024 election.
Next, he set to work governing the country. Whilst the more radical items on the agenda, such as Irish Home Rule, were often blocked by the House of Lords, Campbell still achieved a significant amount in his short term.
By far, one of the most important actions was the introduction of the Trade Disputes Act, an incredibly radical measure which Campbell supported, despite it being unpopular within his own party. It meant that trade unions no longer had to pay for any damage or lost profits resulting from strikes, paving the way for the widespread expansion of union activity in Britain.
The Lead up to the First World War
Campbell also signed the Anglo-Russian agreement in 1907, setting the stage for the Entente alliance of the First World War, whilst supporting army reform in the aftermath of the disastrous Boer War. If the UK could lose a war against farmers, what chance did it have against the German Empire?
In the build-up to WWI, Campbell both sought alliances whilst simultaneously not committing Britain to any military action. He sought to delay the brewing conflict as much as possible and encouraged a build-up of Britain’s navy to compete with Germany’s.
Also with regards to the Boers, Campbell granted them independence in 1906 which directly lead to the creation of the Union of South Africa. This was despite, once again, massive opposition, even from his own party.
Sir Henry Campbell however had a very short time to achieve these things and a number of his greater plans for reforms wouldn’t be achieved until the government of his successor Herbert Asquith. Campbell also suffered from a variety of health conditions including heart attacks during his term.
After the death of his beloved wife in 1906, Campbell began to suffer from failing health. Despite this, he became the first Prime Minister to be Father of the House (Longest serving MP) in 1907
Still, his decline couldn’t be stopped and he resigned as Prime Minister in 1908. 19 days later, he was dead, the first and only Prime Minister to die in 10 Downing Street.
The Legacy of CB
Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman’s term as Prime Minister was short but sweet. His service to Stirling was long and faithful which is why he is honoured today with a statue in Stirling today.
As the first official Prime Minister, he shaped the course of the 20th century and especially that of Herbert Asquith’s government, which was to prove to be one of the most consequential in British history.
In just under three years, he was able to radically transform labour relations, international relations and secure a decade of Liberal control over government, all whilst battling heart attacks, strokes and the loss of his wife.
Stirling’s Prime Minister was a progressive who helped establish the Liberals as a political force and, ultimately, is yet another example of how this little city has been able to change the world.
Featured Image Credit: James Mcintyre
Sources and further reading
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Life of Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman
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