Thread by @Jim_Cornelius

@Robert___Harris The 1906 and the 1923 elections, in particular, were fought primarily on the issue of Tariff Reform (Imperial Preference). Tories & Liberal Unionists supported Protectionism. The Liberals and Socialists supported Free Trade.

@Robert___Harris In the 1906 election the Tories & coalition partners the Liberal Unionists were, for the most part, pro-Tariff Reform (Imperial Preference). They lost but the issue didn't go away. This poster is from 1909.

Radicals=Liberals.

@Robert___Harris There were two elections in 1910. During the campaign for the December election, Tory Leader Arthur Balfour thought there was a sure way to resolve the issue once and for all. Rather than simply institute Tariff Reform if they won they would hold a referendum!

A People's Veto!

@Robert___Harris The Tories lost the December 1910 election so there was no tariff reform. but In 1915 the Liberals brought in import duties on clocks, watches, cars, musical instruments and gramophone records of 33.333% with a brief repeal of 9 mths in 1924-29, this tariff lasted until 1956.

@Robert___Harris And after the United States hiked tariffs in 1930 the Tory Government of Baldwin brought in tariffs and quotas on both agricultural and manufactured goods in 1932 with a preference for goods from the Empire. This policy continued until EEC accession.

@Robert___Harris I made a typo in an earlier tweet. The brief repeal of the McKenna duties, as they were known, was 1924-25, under the Labour Govt of Ramsay MacDonald. Here's an advert from 1924 saying get your clocks cheaper now, before the abolition of the tariff that's coming in soon.