Churchill caretaker ministry
The Churchill caretaker ministry was a short-term United Kingdom (UK) government during the latter stages of the Second World War, from 23 May to 26 July 1945. The prime minister was Winston Churchill, leader of the Conservative Party. This government succeeded the national coalition which he had formed after he was first appointed prime minister on 10 May 1940. The coalition had comprised leading members of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties and it was terminated soon after the defeat of Nazi Germany because the parties could not agree on whether it should continue until after the defeat of Japan. 

The caretaker government continued to fight the war against Japan in the Far East but Churchill's focus was on preparation for the Potsdam Conference where he and his foreign secretary Anthony Eden would meet Joseph Stalin and Harry Truman. The main concern on the home front, however, was post-war recovery including the need for reform in key areas such as education, health, housing, industry and social welfare. Campaigning mostly on those issues, the parties canvassed for support in the forthcoming general election, the first held in the UK since 1935. The general election was held on 5 July but, allowing time to collect the large numbers of votes by overseas service personnel, the result was not announced until 26 July and was a landslide victory for Labour. Churchill thereupon resigned as prime minister and was succeeded by his erstwhile coalition deputy Clement Attlee, who formed a Labour government.
Q362
Second World War
EVE
Q14211
prime minister
Concept
Q8016
Winston Churchill
PER
Q9626
Conservative Party
Concept
Q5118241
national coalition
ORG
Q9630
Labour
Concept
Q622441
Liberal
ORG
Q7318
Nazi Germany
Concept
Q151187
Potsdam Conference
MEDIA
Q1371091
foreign secretary
PER
Q128995
Anthony Eden
PER
Q855
Joseph Stalin
PER
Q11613
Harry Truman
PER
Q918397
forthcoming general election
Concept
Q642590
landslide victory
UNK
Q129006
Clement Attlee
PER
Q7724649
Labour government
ORG
Q16826836
Churchill caretaker ministry
Concept
1945-07-26T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
26 July 1945
DATE
1940-05-10T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
10 May 1940
DATE
1935-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1935
DATE
+23^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
23
NUMBER
+5^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
5
NUMBER
+26^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
26
NUMBER
dissolved, abolished or demolished date
head of government
replaces
position held
member of political party