1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
| 4th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference | |
|---|---|
 The Commonwealth prime ministers with King George VI at Buckingham Palace for the Conference, 1949 | |
| Host country |  United Kingdom |
| Dates | 22–29 April 1949 |
| Cities | London |
| Participants | 8 |
| Chair | Clement Attlee (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) |
| Follows | 1948 |
| Precedes | 1951 |
| Key points | |
Dominion of India, London Declaration, Commonwealth citizenship, role of the Monarchy (King/Queen) (Head of the Commonwealth) | |
The 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the fourth
Heads of government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in April 1949 and was hosted by that country's prime minister, Clement Attlee
.
The principal topic of the conference was the relationship of
Ceylon, and South Africa would soon leave as well, resulting in the Commonwealth's collapse. Australian prime minister Ben Chifley was on one pole during the conference, arguing for maintaining a strong British connection, while South Africa's newly elected nationalist prime minister, D. F. Malan
, was on the other pole arguing for complete independence.
In the London Declaration, Commonwealth prime ministers agreed to India's continued membership in the Commonwealth as a republic and that the King would have a new role in the Commonwealth not as a joint head of state but as "the symbol of the free association of its member nations, and as such Head of the Commonwealth."
Four days before the Conference met,
republic.[3]
The other members of the Commonwealth chose to regard that declaration as terminating Ireland's membership of the Commonwealth. Ireland had not participated in Commonwealth affairs since the 1930s but this was the first conference to be held after Ireland's membership was regarded as terminated.
Participants
| Nation | Name | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom
|
Clement Attlee | Prime Minister (Chairman) |
 Australia
|
Ben Chifley | Prime Minister |
 Canada
|
Lester Pearson
|
Secretary of State for External Affairs |
 Ceylon
|
Don Stephen Senanayake
|
Prime Minister |
 India
|
Jawaharlal Nehru | Prime Minister |
 New Zealand
|
Peter Fraser
|
Prime Minister |
 Pakistan
|
Liaquat Ali Khan | Prime Minister |
 South Africa
|
Daniël François (D. F.) Malan | Prime Minister |
References
- ^ Rajan, Mannaraswamighala Sreeranga (1963). The post war transformation of the Commonwealth: reflections on the Asian-African contribution. Asia Pub. House. pp. 6–14.
- ISBN 978-0-88386-903-1.
- ^ "Ireland leaves the Commonwealth, 1949". Royal Irish Academy. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
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