Template talk:Leaders of the Liberal Party (UK)

Donald Maclean
My recollection is that Maclean was only acting leader in the Commons and that Asquith remained the overall leader of the party, insofar as a formal position existed. Should we be listing him as a full leader? Timrollpickering 16:21, 5 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree; Asquith remained the Leader of the party even though he didn't have a seat in either house from 1918 to 1920. Opera hat (talk) 09:34, 25 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Indeed. I don't have a copy on me for the page reference, but I remember a footnote in the list of Liberal leaders in the Dictionary of Liberal Biography (1998), which stated that Maclean as Chief Whip would chair the meetings of the parliamentary party, but Asquith remained leader in the country at large. This was on the (admittedly very optimistic) assumption in the period December 1918-January 1920 that a by-election in a winnable seat would imminently come up, signalling Asquith's return. Debonairchap 20:41, 3 January 2009 (UTC)