Editing Great Famine (Ireland) (section)

===Tory government===

Historian [[F. S. L. Lyons]] characterised the initial response of the British government to the early, less severe phase of the famine as "prompt and relatively successful".{{sfn|Lyons|1973|p=30}} Confronted by widespread crop failure in November 1845, the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, purchased £100,000 worth of maize and [[cornmeal]] secretly from America{{sfn|Woodham-Smith|1991|pp=54–56}} with [[Barings Bank|Baring Brothers]] initially acting as his agents. The government hoped that they would not "stifle private enterprise" and that their actions would not act as a disincentive to local relief efforts. Due to poor weather conditions, the first shipment did not arrive in Ireland until the beginning of February 1846.{{sfn|Kinealy|1994|p=47}} The initial shipments were of unground dried kernels, but the few Irish mills in operation were not equipped for milling maize and a long and complicated milling process had to be adopted before the meal could be distributed.{{sfn|Woodham-Smith|1991|pp=64–65}} In addition, before the cornmeal could be consumed, it had to be "very much" cooked again, or eating it could result in severe bowel complaints.{{sfn|Kinealy|1994|p=47}} Due to its yellow colour, and initial unpopularity, it became known as "Peel's brimstone".{{sfn|Woodham-Smith|1991|p=73}}

In October 1845, Peel moved to repeal the [[Corn Laws]]—[[tariff]]s on grain which kept the price of bread high—but the issue split his party and he had insufficient support from his own colleagues to push the measure through. He resigned the premiership in December, but the opposition was unable to form a government and he was re-appointed.{{sfn|Woodham-Smith|1991|pp=51–52}} In March, Peel set up a programme of public works in Ireland, to include [[R574 road (Ireland)#Famine roads|road improvement]] and the building of piers and fishing harbours,{{sfn|Woodham-Smith|1991|p=78}} but the famine situation worsened during 1846, and the repeal of the Corn Laws in that year did little to help the starving Irish; the measure split the Conservative Party, leading to the fall of Peel's ministry.{{sfn|Blake|1967|pp=221–241}} On 25 June, the [[second reading]] of the government's [[Coercion Act#Ireland|Irish Coercion Bill]] was defeated by 73 votes in the House of Commons by a combination of [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]], [[Radicals (UK)|Radicals]], Irish Repealers, and [[Protectionism|protectionist]] Conservatives. Peel was forced to resign as prime minister on 29 June, and the Whig leader, [[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|Lord John Russell]], became prime minister.{{sfn|Doheny|1951|p=98}}