David Lloyd George
Lloyd George was widely considered a radical figure during his time. Raising the school leaving age to 14 through the Education Act 1918 was part of a larger social plan.
As a Liberal politician, his radicalism involved:
- Challenging laissez-faire politics.
- Taxing the wealthy to fund social programs (“people’s budget”).
- Establishing the modern welfare state, including pensions and unemployment insurance.
Other radical social reforms included:
- The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920, which outlawed child labor in factories and mines.
- The “People’s Budget” (1909), which redistributed wealth to aid the poor, facing significant opposition.
- Liberal reforms that changed the UK from minimal state involvement to a more involved social-welfare model.
- An unconventional approach to governance during World War I and promises for a post-war “Homes Fit for Heroes,” which strengthened his image as a radical reformer.
Before becoming Prime Minister, his opposition to the Boer War and his support for Welsh disestablishment, rural laborers, and social reform established him as a radical thinker.