The Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, and the Home Secretary, Sir Robert Peel, even though they opposed Catholic participation in Parliament, saw that denying O'Connell his seat would cause outrage and could lead to another rebellion or uprising in Ireland, which was about 85% Catholic.
Premierministeren, hertugen af Wellington, og indenrigsministeren, Sir Robert Peel, omend at de var modstandere af katolsk deltagelse i regeringen, anså en fornægtelse af O'Connell som en provokation, der kunne udløse endnu en opstand i et Irland, der bestod af 85 % katolikker.