David Lloyd George might have challenged Jacky Fisher without simply becoming an extension of Fisher's programme. Lloyd George strongly resisted defence spending but supported the Board of Trade's pressure for more battlecruisers to protect commerce. His position separates opposition to a larger naval budget from support for a particular mission tied to trade. The counterfactual only sketches the proposed staff reform, leaving its wider consequences open.
Notable Point · 16:31-17:05
Lloyd George could oppose naval spending yet support trade protection
A preview of an alternate Admiralty staff reform uses David Lloyd George to show that general spending restraint could coexist with support for battlecruisers assigned to commerce protection.