Benjamin Disraeli tried being a famous author and socialite, but his search for fame led to him becoming a politician. His quest for parliamentary acknowledgement directly led to the Prime Minister Robert Peel's resignation in 1846, and enabled Disraeli to become the first person of Jewish ancestry to become the Prime Minister of Britain.

Strange Bedfellows

Disraeli fashioned himself as an independent radical when he first stood for office against two Whigs in High Wycombe in 1832. He solicited a letter of recommendation from Daniel O'Connell, a radical-liberal who campaigned for Catholic Emancipation and repeal of the Act of Union. He then allied himself with the Tories, who opposed repeal, and wrote anti-Irish (and therefore anti-Whig) propaganda, which led O'Connell to call Disraeli a reptile and a Jew 'of the lowest and most disgusting grade of moral turpitude', amongst other things.

Attaining Office

Disraeli was elected as a Tory for Maidstone in 1837, after trying for several years, and his first parliamentary speech – following and attacking Daniel O'Connell – was greeted with laughter and jeers by O'Connell's supporters. His humiliation was furthered when he was passed over by Peel, whom he had previously supported, when the Minister formed his Government in 1841. He began to oppose measures proposed by Peel, especially the 1846 repeal of the Corn Laws. The Corn Laws protected British farmers by imposing a tariff on imported grain. This was good for farmers and the land-holding elite, but the urban poor suffered with high bread prices.

Dissent in the Ranks

Disraeli's opposition to Peel increased his popularity with other Tory backbenchers, who felt that Peel had betrayed the Tory ideals by granting Catholic Emancipation and supporting the repeal of the Corn Laws. The historian Jonathan Parry claimed Disraeli 'undoubtedly helped to stimulate the questioning of Peel's trustworthiness on the back benches'.

Principled Politics

Disraeli believed that men should 'stand by the principles by which they rise, be they right or wrong'. Peel, in turn, believed that he was standing up for the rights of the general community over party interests. Disraeli saw this as misrepresentation and contrary to the principles on which he had been elected: he had misrepresented his constituents by voting against his party allegiances. However, in order to force Peel's resignation, Disraeli convinced the majority of the Tories to vote with the Whigs against the Coercion Bill, which would have given the government greater power to deal with violence in Ireland. They therefore did not vote along party lines, or with their consciences, but strategically in order to remove their own leader.

New Blood

Disraeli's allies in his dissent were the future Prime Minister Lord Edward Stanley and George Bentinck. Bentinck and Disraeli were good friends, the latter writing the political biography of the former, and uncharacteristically omitting his own not inconsiderable part in Bentinck's political fortunes. As the historian Duncan Watts put it, 'Bentinck wielded the sledgehammer and Disraeli employed the more deadly rapier'. After Peel's defeat, Disraeli, Bentinck and Stanley formed a new Conservative party with the Tories who had opposed the repeal of the Corn Laws.

Opportunism

Although he opposed Peel, citing his leader's flexibility regarding important national decisions, Disraeli was not unwilling to practice what he professed to despise. He stood as an independent radical and sought Daniel O'Connell's support before switching to Toryism and opposing Catholic Emancipation. He berated Peel publicly for what he saw as opportunism, but voted against a Tory measure simply to discredit his leader. Charles Richmond claimed that 'from 1834 to 1846 [Disraeli] viewed himself as a prophet of "reinvigorated toryism"', though perhaps may be better known as being one of the greatest politicians at using extreme opportunism to gain support.

Further Reading

Parry, Jonathan, 'Benjamin Disraeli', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol 16, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).