Liberal Party

The Liberal Party was one of the main political parties in the United Kingdom. It arose in the 1840s as a coming together of Whigs, Radicals, and the Peelite sectionof the Conservative Party, but is sometimes considered to have been officially founded in 1859. The Liberal Party remained one of the two main parties until the early 20th century, when the rise of the Labour Party pushed it into the third place in British politics.

In 1988 it merged with the SDP to form the Liberal Democrats.

LGBT history

Notable former Liberal politicians include:

• Simon Hughes
• Jeremy Thorpe.

Steve Radford leads a verysmall party comprising former Liberal Party members who disagreed with the merger with the SDP.