House of Lords the second reading was defeated on 8 September 1893 by 419 votes to 41. This was a major stumbling block for the Irish MPs because the House of Lords was controlled by the Conservative Party and there would be little chance of it getting passed by them. Gladstone retired soon afterwards. Some historians now suggest that Gladstone was the author of his own defeats on home rule, with his secretive drafting alienating supporters, and enabling serious flaws to appear in the text of his bills. See also Government of Ireland Bill 1886 (First Irish Home Rule Bill) Government of Ireland Act 1914 (Third Irish Home Rule Bill) Government of Ireland Act 1920 (Fourth Irish Home Rule Bill) History of Ireland (1801–1923) References Sources Government of Ireland Bill 1893 (as reported by the House of Commons) HC 1893–1894 (448) 3 323 Citations External links Government of Ireland Bill 1893 from EPPI online (Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland), DIPPAM. "Government of Ireland Bill" matches from Hansard; matches 1893–1909 relate to the 1893 bill. 1893 in British law Home rule in Ireland 1893 in Ireland Proposed laws of the United Kingdom Proposed laws of Ireland