By the 1820s, both the commercial middle class and a 
newly self-conscious working class had begun to press for 
greater representation on the political stage. The response 
of Earl Grey's Whig government was a Reform Act 
which went some way towards a fairer system, but still 
left many areas (particularly in the industrial North) 
under-represented.

The Act had two effects. First, it removed many of the Rotten
Boroughs, and began the process of distributing seats according to population. And second, it increased the electorate by more than 50% - with qualification to vote dependant on income.