Editing Ramsay MacDonald (section)

==== 1931 general election ====
In the [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931 general election]], the National Government won 554 seats, comprising 473 Conservatives, 13 National Labour, 68 Liberals ([[National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)|Liberal National]] and Liberal) and various others, while Labour, now led by Arthur Henderson won only 52 and the [[Independent Liberals (UK, 1931)|Lloyd George Liberals]] four.  Henderson and his deputy [[J. R. Clynes]] both lost their seats in Labour's worst-ever rout. Labour's disastrous performance at the 1931 election greatly increased the bitterness felt by MacDonald's former colleagues towards him. MacDonald was genuinely upset to see the Labour Party so badly defeated at the election. He had regarded the National Government as a temporary measure, and had hoped to return to the Labour Party.<ref name="To Build A New Jerusalem"/>