 Lord Grey 's first announcement as Prime Minister was a pledge to carry out parliamentary reform . On 1 March 1831 , Lord John Russell brought forward the Reform Bill in the House of Commons on the government 's behalf . The bill disfranchised 60 of the smallest boroughs , and reduced the representation of 47 others . Some seats were completely abolished , while others were redistributed to the London suburbs , to large cities , to the counties , and to Scotland and Ireland . Furthermore , the bill standardised and expanded the borough franchise , increasing the size of the electorate ( according to one estimate ) by half a million voters . 
