Philip Oliver (British politician)

Philip Milner Oliver CBE (20 August 1884 – 12 April 1954) was a British politician who served for two short terms as Member of Parliament for Manchester Blackley.

During the war he served as Honorary County Secretary of the East Lancashire Branch of the British Red Cross Society.

[5] Oliver, along with the overwhelming majority of Manchester Liberals decided to oppose the Coalition Government that had become more dominated by Unionists.

When Stanley Baldwin became Unionist Prime Minister in 1923, he decided to call an election to be fought on the issue of his desire to introduce taxes on imports.

At the following general election, the Conservatives in Manchester chose to split the National Government vote by standing against sitting Liberal MPs.

However, unlike then, the Labour party in Manchester chose to split the free trade vote and Oliver thus found himself in a three-way contest and lost his seat; In 1933, he was parachuted in to be the Liberal candidate at the 1933 Altrincham by-election.

At the 1931 General Election the Altrincham Liberals had decided not to split the National Government vote and the Conservative was returned unopposed.

This feeling was in line with Sir Stafford Cripps advocating a Popular Front to defeat the National Government.