Second Irish Home Rule Bill - Definition and Overview

In August 1892 William Gladstone was re-elected as Prime Minister and he depended on Home Rule MP's to form a majority. It was clear that he intended on re-introducing another Home Rule Bill as soon as possible.

In February 1893 he proposed his Second Home Rule Bill. It stated that:

• An all Ireland parliament would be set up to control domestic affairs.

• The parliament would consist of a legislative council with 48 councillors elected for eight years and a legislative assembly with 103 members.

This bill was different from the first bill that Gladstone introduced in 1886 because it allowed for the eighty Irish MP's to vote in Westminster but only on bills that affected Ireland.

The Bill was passed by the House of Commons on 1st Sept 1893 by 301 votes to 297. However when it was presented to the House of Lords it was defeated by 419 votes to 41. This was a major stumbling block for the Irish MP's because the House of Lords was controlled by the Conservative Party and there would be little chance of it getting passed by them.