Editing Reform Act 1832 (section)

===Second Reform Bill===
The political and popular pressure for reform had grown so great that pro-reform Whigs won an overwhelming House of Commons majority in the [[1831 United Kingdom general election|general election of 1831]]. The Whig party won almost all constituencies with genuine electorates, leaving the Tories with little more than the rotten boroughs. The Reform Bill was again brought before the House of Commons, which agreed to the second reading by a large majority in July. During the committee stage, opponents of the bill slowed its progress through tedious discussions of its details, but it was finally passed in September 1831, by a margin of more than 100 votes.<ref>May (1896), vol. I, pp. 423–424.</ref>

The Bill was then sent up to the House of Lords, a majority in which was known to be hostile to it. After the Whigs' decisive victory in the 1831 election, some speculated that opponents would abstain, rather than openly defy the public will. Indeed, when the Lords voted on the second reading of the bill after a memorable series of debates, many Tory peers did refrain from voting. However, the [[Lords Spiritual]] mustered in unusually large numbers, and of 22 present, 21 voted against the Bill. It failed by 41 votes.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

When the Lords rejected the Reform Bill, public violence ensued. That very evening, [[1831 reform riots|riots broke out]] in [[Derby]], where a mob attacked the city jail and freed several prisoners. In [[Nottingham]], rioters set fire to [[Nottingham Castle]] (the home of the Duke of Newcastle) and attacked [[Wollaton Hall]] (the estate of Lord Middleton). The most significant disturbances occurred at [[Bristol]], where [[1831 Bristol riots|rioters controlled the city for three days]]. The mob broke into prisons and destroyed several buildings, including the palace of the [[Bishop of Bristol]], the mansion of the [[Lord Mayor of Bristol]], and several private homes. Other places that saw violence included [[Dorset]], Leicestershire, and [[Somerset]].<ref>{{harvp|Rudé|1967|pp=97–98}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the political unions, which had hitherto been separate groups united only by a common goal, decided to form the [[National Political Union (England)|National Political Union]]. Perceiving this group as a threat, the government issued a proclamation pursuant to the [[Unlawful Societies Act 1799|Corresponding Societies Act 1799]] declaring such an association "unconstitutional and illegal", and commanding all loyal subjects to shun it. The leaders of the National Political Union ignored this proclamation, but leaders of the influential Birmingham branch decided to co-operate with the government by discouraging activities on a national level.<ref>May (1896), vol. II, pp. 389–390.</ref>