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BACKGROUND
1.
There appears to be no recent authoritative opinion or
policy on the usage of the term 'The British Empire'.
11.
It was
raised in the House of Commons on 2 May 1949 when, in reply to
a PQ, Mr Attlee said 'Terminology, if it is to be useful, keeps
step with developments without becoming rigid or doctrinaire.
All constitutional developments in the Commonwealth, the British
Commonwealth or the British Empire I use the three terms
deliberately - have been the subject of consultation between
His Majesty's Government, and there has been no agreement to
adopt or exclude the use of any one of these terms, nor any
decision on the part of His Majesty's Government in the United
Kingdom to do so
Opinions differ in different parts
•
of the British Empire and Commonwealth on this matter and I think
it better to allow people to use the expression they like best.
Use of the term 'British Commonwealth' or 'Commonwealth' had been
earlier discussed at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting
in April 1949; delegates were unable to agree. The United Kingdom
proposed that either be used as might suit best.
2.
It was in 1949 that the term 'British Empire' began to
disappear, when it was agreed that India could continue to be a
member of the Commonwealth after becoming a republic.
3.
In his book 'Commonwealth and Colonial Law' (1966)
Sir Kenneth Roberts-Wray examined the statutory definitions of the
expression 'British Empire': 'Although the expression was in
general use until a few years ago, the definitions differ not
/only
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