John Wilkes became a Member of Parliament in 1757, where he advocated for the right of voters, rather than the House of Commons, in choosing their representatives, and began pushing for parliamentary reform in 1776. In 1771, Wilkes, in support of Almon, convinced the government to allow printers the right to publish verbatim accounts of parliamentary debates. He further supported the Patriot cause during the American Revolutionary War, making him more popular among Whigs.

At the time of Almon's publication against him in 1773, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, was the First Lord of the Admiralty of Great Britain. Many have traditionally claimed that he was incompetent in this role during the buildup to the American Revolution.

As Secretary of State for the Northern Department in August 1763, Montagu succeeded at trying his former friend, John Wilkes, for obscene libel. As a result, Wilkes' opposition supporters labeled Montagu as a betrayer.

More popularly today, Montagu is attributed to be the inventor of the sandwich.