05 March 1894

The Earl of Rosebery succeeds William Gladstone as Prime Minister

Rosebery kept Gladstone’s cabinet largely intact, the only significant moves being the appointment of Lord Kimberley to succeed Rosebery at the Foreign Office, with Sir Henry Fowler replacing him at the India Office and Lord Tweedmouth becoming Lord Privy Seal. Rosebery’s relations with the Chancellor Sir William Harcourt (who took on the responsibility of Leader of the House of Commons) which were never cordial deteriorated during Rosebery’s premiership with Harcourt almost seeking to run the government himself. The strains of trying to hold together a fractious party took a grave toll on Rosebery’s health and in June 1895 when the government suffered a surprise defeat in the Commons, he resigned with some relief.