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Conservative governments and the restriction of Commonwealth immigration in the 1950s: the problems of constraint

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2010

D. W. Dean
D. W. Dean
Affiliation:
University of London Institute of Education
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Abstract

The article seeks to establish the reasons why Conservative governments in the 1950s decided not to proceed with legislation to restrict immigration from the Commonwealth in the 1950s. It is thus particularly concerned with the debates about proposals that were put before the Eden cabinet in 1955 and the subsequent postponement of any decision to take action.

The various constraints such as the need to placate opinion in the African and West Indian colonies, a strong desire to present an enlightened view of conservatism at home and abroad and uncertainties about possible reactions which could be exploited by their Labour opponents, are examined. It is argued that these factors outweighed the arguments of senior figures in government urging a speedy response to pressures building up for restrictions within the parliamentary backbenches and in a number of constituencies. The significance of the race riots that took place in Nottingham and the Notting Hill district of London are discussed.

The article concludes that many of the factors which had contributed to a delay in imposing restrictions were seen, at the beginning of the 1960s, to possess less relevance than in the previous decade. This paved the way to the passage of the Commonwealth Immigration Act in 1962 which finally ended unrestricted entry.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , March 1992 , pp. 171 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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