United Kingdom general election, 1892

The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election. The Liberal Unionists who had previously supported the Conservative government saw their vote and seat numbers go down. Despite being split between Parnellite and anti-Parnellite factions, the Irish Nationalist vote held up well. As the Liberals did not have a majority on their own, Salisbury refused to resign on hearing the election results and waited to be defeated in a vote of no confidence on 11 August. Gladstone formed a minority government dependent on Irish Nationalist support.

Liberal campaign
The previous year, incumbent MP Benjamin Pickard was heavily criticised by miners at the Pope and Pearson's colliery over involvement in the resignation of the Morley MP, Charles Milnes Gaskell. Though several declared their intention to support a rival Liberal-Labour candidate, their anger was put to rest.

During the campaign itself Pickard was ill in the runup to the election and was unable to campaign. His friend Edward Cowey, President of the Yorkshire Miners' Association, campaigned on his behalf. Much of the campaign was in support of Pickard's Home Rule views, and was critical of the 1200 non-residents who were entitled to vote in the election due to business connections. The majority, it was expected, would vote for the Conservative Party's candidate Percy Tew, a Wakefield banker.