Lord Grey - Prime Minister 1830-34 and a key player in the Reform Bill of 1832.

Also known as the 'Representation of the People Act 1832'. The bill introduced an act of Parliament which was to include sweeping changes to the electoral system in England and Wales.
The Act was proposed by the Whigs and led by the Prime Minister Lord Grey but was opposed by factions of the country which had ruled for so long particularly in The House of Lords. The act granted seats to big cities which had grown during the Industrial Revolution and took away power from so-called 'Rotten Boroughs' (those with small populations). Voting rights for individuals were also extended, a move which saw a rise from 400,000 to 650,000 people who were allowed to vote.

The death of King George IV on 26 June 1830 caused Parliament to be dissolved and this provided a platform for the Reform Bill after previous lengthy parliamentary level discussions on it during the previous Parliament session. During this time many pro-reform political unions were formed, most prominent of which the Birmingham Political Union led by Thomas Attwood. these groups were non-violent and gained widespread public support through their petitioning and public speaking.
In 1830 Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington was forced out of office after proving unpopular within his own party for his Absolutist views. Lord Grey who by now had succeeded to his title Earl Grey took over from Wellington and his first announcement as P.M was his intention to carry through parliamentary reform.

By 1831 the pressure for political reform had grown so great that in the General Election the Whigs took overwhelming control of all the genuine constituencies leaving the tories with only the small rotten boroughs. In September 1831 the bill was finally passed on its second reading before being sent up to the House of Lords.