TheTamworth Manifesto was apolitical manifesto issued by SirRobert Peel in December 1834 to the voters ofTamworth prior to the1835 United Kingdom general election. It is widely credited by historians as having laid down the principles upon which the modern BritishConservative Party is based.
In November 1834, KingWilliam IV removed theWhig Prime MinisterLord Melbourne and asked theDuke of Wellington, aTory, to form a ministry. Wellington was reluctant; he formeda caretaker government but recommended that the king choose Peel, who was abroad. AfterPeel took over in December, an election was called. Perhaps owing to Wellington's endorsement, Peel intended from the start, as the historian S. J. Lee tells, "to fully convince the country and electorate that there was a substantial difference between his brand of conservatism and that of his predecessor and 'old tory' Wellington."
With that in mind, on 18 December the Tamworth Manifesto was published by the press and read around the country. Like many other manifestos in nineteenth-century British politics it was formally an address to the electors of the leader's ownconstituency, but reproduced widely. In the event Tamworth wasuncontested in 1835: Peel and his brotherWilliam were the only candidates – they were elected, i.e. "returned", unopposed.[1] Nationally, Peel's party made gains, but the Whigs retained anoverall majority andMelbourne returned to power in April.
The main aim of the manifesto was to appeal to the electorate in the new Parliament.
