WHEN early in the year, suggestions were mooted for a non-party Cabinet, Mr. Asquith gave no encouragement to the idea. It was therefore with some amount of surprise that the country learned from the Prime Minister on May 10th that “steps were in contemplation which would involve the reconstruction of the Government on a broader personal and political basis.” During the following days Mr. Asquith was closely engaged with the business of the formation of the non-party Cabinet, and on May 25th he was able to publish the official list of members as approved by the King, as follows:
| Prime Minister | }MR. ASQUITH (L) |
| First Lord of the Treasury | |
| Minister without Portfolio | LORD LANSDOWNE (U) |
| Lord Chancellor | SIR S. (Lord) BUCKMASTER (L) |
| Lord President of Council | LORD CREWE (L) |
| Lord Privy Seal | LORD CURZON (U) |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | MR. MCKENNA (L) |
| Secretaries of the State– | |
| Home Affairs | SIR J. SIMON (L) |
| Foreign Affairs | SIR E. GREY (L) |
| Colonies | MR. BONAR LAW (U) |
| India | MR. A. CHAMBERLAIN (U) |
| War | LORD KITCHENER |
| Minister of Munitions | MR. LLOYD GEORGE (L) |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | MR. BALFOUR (U) |
| President of Board of Trade | MR. RUNCIMAN (L) |
| President of Local Government Board | MR. WALTER LONG (U) |
| Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster | MR. W. CHURCHILL (L) |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | MR. A. BIRRELL (L) |
| Secretary for Scotland | MR. MCKINNON WOOD (L) |
| President of Board of Agriculture | LORD SELBORNE (U) |
| First Commissioner of Works | MR. L. HARCOURT (L) |
| President of Board of Education | MR. A. HENDERSON (Lab.) |
| Attorney General | SIR E. CARSON (U)* |
It was understood that Mr. John Redmond was offered a place in the Cabinet, but that he could not see his way to accept. The Cabinet's first step was to arrange for the speeding up of the manufacture of munitions. Mr. Lloyd George, as head of the new Government department, devoted himself with great public spirit to the work, and by the middle of August he was able to announce that great progress had been made in the matter of output, over five hundred firms having been brought into the service. *Since resigned and replaced by Sir F. E. Smith.
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