Ramsay MacDonald's government wanted to limit defence spending and direct money toward civilian recovery. The Labour Party of this period was closely tied to trade unions whose members depended on shipyard work. Soviet construction and a higher treaty ceiling could therefore make naval orders politically easier to approve without changing Labour's reluctance to spend on defence. Shipbuilding employment gives the proposed naval expansion a domestic constituency.
Notable Point · 16:04-18:21
Shipyard employment softens Labour resistance to naval spending
A larger treaty fleet could turn naval construction into an employment policy acceptable to trade-union allies despite Labour's reluctance to fund defence.