Q&A · 18:11-19:33

Did Lend-Lease abolish Imperial Preference?

Commons questions test whether Lend-Lease had already ended Imperial Preference and whether the Dominions and other Allies would shape later negotiations.

Question

Had Imperial Preference already been abolished, and were the Dominions and other Allies being consulted?

Short answer

No advance trade commitment had been made; the Dominions had been consulted and other Allied governments would be included in further discussions.

Notes

The government answer says neither Britain nor the United States made advance commitments on Imperial Preference or American tariffs. Britain had accepted the Atlantic Charter's general objective of reducing discriminatory trade arrangements, but the practical terms still required negotiation. The Dominions had been consulted before the agreement, while the Chancellor of the Exchequer had played a leading role in the talks. Ministers also promised that the Soviet Union, China, and other Allied governments would be consulted as the wider economic arrangements developed.