The British government's plan to end income tax exemptions for charities meets with fierce opposition

A very large delegation of members of the Royal Family, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, along with four other bishops and prominent citizens visited Chancellor of the Exchequer William Gladstone at his official residence to protest in the strongest terms his proposal to include British charities under the income tax. Gladstone held his ground but after a heated debate in Parliament that evening, in which he defended the revenue of around £500,000 per year it would bring, he was forced to withdraw the measure from his Budget.  (By John Osborne)