Editing Reform Act 1832 (section)

===Third Reform Bill===
After the Reform Bill was rejected in the Lords, the House of Commons immediately passed a [[motion of confidence]] affirming their support for Lord Grey's administration. Because parliamentary rules prohibited the introduction of the same bill twice during the same [[parliamentary session]], the ministry advised the new king, [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]], to [[Prorogation in the United Kingdom|prorogue]] Parliament. As soon as the new session began in December 1831, the Third Reform Bill was brought forward. The bill was in a few respects different from its predecessors; it no longer proposed a reduction in the total membership of the House of Commons, and it reflected data collected during the census that had just been completed. The new version passed in the House of Commons by even larger majorities in March 1832; it was once again sent up to the House of Lords.<ref>May (1896), vol. I, p. 452.</ref>

Realizing that another rejection would not be politically feasible, opponents of reform decided to use amendments to change the bill's essential character; for example, they voted to delay consideration of clauses in the bill that disfranchised the rotten boroughs. The ministers believed that they were left with only one alternative: to create a large number of new peerages, swamping the House of Lords with pro-reform votes. But the prerogative of creating peerages rested with the king, who recoiled from so drastic a step and rejected the unanimous advice of his cabinet. Lord Grey then resigned, and the king invited the Duke of Wellington to form a new government.<ref>May (1896), vol. I, p. 312.</ref>

The ensuing period became known as the "[[Days of May]]", with so great a level of political agitation that some feared revolution. Some protesters advocated non-payment of taxes, and urged a [[Bank run|run on the banks]]; one day signs appeared across London reading "Stop the Duke; go for gold!" £1.8&nbsp;million{{efn|£1.8&nbsp;million was equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|1.8|1832|fmt=c|r=-2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}} terms in 1832.{{Inflation/fn|UK}}}} was withdrawn from the Bank of England in the first days of the run (out of about £7&nbsp;million{{efn|£7&nbsp;million was equivalent to £{{inflation|UK|7|1832|fmt=c|r=-2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}} terms in 1832.{{Inflation/fn|UK}}}} total gold in the bank's possession).<ref>{{cite book |last=Gross|first=David M.|year=2014|title=99 Tactics of Successful Tax Resistance Campaigns|publisher=Picket Line Press|isbn=978-1490572741|page=176}}</ref> The National Political Union and other organisations sent petitions to the House of Commons, demanding that they [[Loss of supply|withhold supply]] (cut off funding to the government) until the House of Lords should acquiesce. Some demonstrations called for the abolition of the nobility, and some even of the monarchy.<ref>May (1896), vol. II, pp. 390–391.</ref> In these circumstances, the Duke of Wellington had great difficulty in building support for his premiership, despite promising moderate reform. He was unable to form a government, leaving King William with no choice but to recall Lord Grey. Eventually the king consented to fill the House of Lords with Whigs; however, without the knowledge of his cabinet, Wellington circulated a letter among Tory peers, encouraging them to desist from further opposition, and warning them of the consequences of continuing. At this, enough opposing peers relented.<ref>May (1896), vol. I, pp. 312–313.</ref> By abstaining from further votes, they allowed the legislation to pass in the House of Lords, and the Crown was thus not forced to create new peers. The bill finally received [[royal assent]] on 7 June 1832, thereby becoming law.<ref>{{cite book|last=Evans|first=Eric J.|year=1994|title=The Great Reform Act of 1832|edition=2nd|orig-year=first published 1983|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134816033|page=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9cXnG6yW7YC&pg=PA1}}</ref>