Who? Who? ministry

Lord Derby was Prime Minister and Benjamin Disraeli served as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

It marked the first time the protectionist wing of the Conservative Party had taken office since the Corn Laws schism of 1846.

[1] Early in 1852 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, by then very deaf, gave Derby's first government its nickname by shouting "Who?

Though the government had little impact, it attracted derision through its plethora of new political names, which demonstrated the relative inexperience of the party.

Only four members of the Cabinet (Derby himself, St Leonards, Lonsdale, and Herries) were existing Privy Councillors and many others were complete political unknowns.

Lord Derby
Former Prime Minister Wellington ( pictured in 1844 ) gave the ministry its name in shouting "Who? Who?" as each new cabinet member was announced in the House of Lords . He died two months before the ministry collapsed.