Second Asquith ministry

The Second Asquith ministry, a wartime coalition government, was formed by H. H. Asquith on 25 May 1915. The change of government resulted from attacks on the Asquith administration, and particularly on Winston Churchill, by the Conservatives in the aftermath of the Gallipoli disaster, and in the context of the Shell Crisis. The new cabinet included nine Conservatives and one Labour member, but the Liberals continued to hold most of the important posts. The Conservatives were not pleased with the offices they received and Tory leader Andrew Bonar Law became dissatisfied with Asquith and the Liberals' conduct of affairs. The government collapsed in December 1916 as a result of the resignation of the Conservatives, who refused to serve any longer under Asquith. Asquith and most of the Liberals then moved into opposition, while the Conservatives formed a new coalition with a minority of the Liberals, under the leadership of Liberal David Lloyd George on 6 December 1916.