Speaking at Manchester on Friday, January 219th, Lord Derby said
that the fact that he was going to maket-a speech had been the subject of many rumours. A " sensational statement " had been expected of him, but he was not going to say anything sensational. Thus Lord Derby at the outset of his speech exploded the stories about the formation of a new party with himself and other well-known Unionist malcontents as its leaders. It seems that Lord Robert and Lord Hugh Cecil may sit in future with the Opposition in the,House of Commons, but that does not make a new party or anything like it. Lord Hugh Cecil said a wise thing the other day when he remarked in effect that it was hopeless to base a new political party on a theory, however good that theory might be. There would be no chance of such a party succeeding. If there were to be a new party it must grow up because it responded to, and satisfied grave public needs as they occurred. What is wanted, in our judgment, is not that a new party should be formed, but that the Unionist Party should take stock of its position and assert itself. There is no doubt whatever that it could do so, and in the present tangle of principles and parties it owes nothing less to the country.
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