David Lloyd George and the British Labour Movement: Peace and War - Softcover

“Wrigley can rightly point to the surprising historiographical neglect of Lloyd George’s relationship with the Labour movement. His book does much to repair this omission...{The pre-war chapters} offer an interpretation of Lloyd George’s career as a pragmatic radical which confirms that he was supremely an executive politician; he was the man who got things done.“ - Peter Clarke, History.  / "For Lloyd George’s relations with Labour, David Lloyd George and the British Labour Movement by Chris Wrigley is the authoritative work.” – John Grigg.  / ‘Wrigley’s research is good and his style readable, if a little rough and ready. He has added a useful item to the growing Lloyd George bibliography.’ - Bentley B. Gilbert, Journal of Modern History, 50, 1, March 1978, 142-6 (at 146).  / 
‘Admirably researched’ - F.M. Leventhal, American Historical Review, 82,1, February 1977, 106-7.

Before the First World War, Lloyd George moved from being the leading Nonconformist Welsh Radical in to being a highly effective Radical minister, providing imaginative solutions to social welfare and free trade finance. His emergence as a key figure on the Left occurred as the Labour Party developed as a contender for mining and industrial seats. With the First World War Lloyd George built on his pre-war reputation as a minister who could successfully resolve industrial conflict. He was the key production minister at Munitions in 1915-16 and continued to resolve industrial disputes as Prime Minister.  Wrigley demonstrates that Lloyd George was moulded by Liberalism and, as a solicitor, admired business people even if he was a vehement critic of landowners. Highly sympathetic to poor people and unorganised labour, he was not trade union minded.