Statute of Westminster 1931
E4828
The Statute of Westminster 1931 is a landmark British law that granted full legislative independence to the self-governing Dominions of the British Empire, laying the constitutional foundation for the modern Commonwealth realms and redefining the role of the British monarch within them.
Aliases (4)
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
constitutional statute → |
| appliesTo |
Commonwealth of Australia
→
Dominion of Canada → Dominion of New Zealand → Irish Free State → Newfoundland → Union of South Africa → |
| basedOn |
Balfour Declaration of 1926
→
|
| citation |
22 Geo. 5 c. 4
→
|
| commencementInAustralia |
1942-10-09
→
|
| commencementInCanada |
1931-12-11
→
|
| commencementInIrishFreeState |
1931-12-11
→
|
| commencementInNewfoundland |
1931-12-11
→
|
| commencementInNewZealand |
1947-11-25
→
|
| commencementInSouthAfrica |
1931-12-11
→
|
| contains |
Preamble affirming equality of status of the Dominions and the United Kingdom
→
Section 10 providing for commencement in each Dominion → Section 2 removing repugnancy to UK law as a ground of invalidity for Dominion laws → Section 3 granting Dominion parliaments full power to make extraterritorial laws → Section 4 restricting UK legislation for Dominions to cases with Dominion request and consent → Section 7 concerning succession to the Crown and Royal Style and Titles → |
| country |
United Kingdom
→
|
| dateEnacted |
1931-12-11
→
|
| dateOfRoyalAssent |
1931-12-11
→
|
| effect |
ended British Parliament’s power to legislate for Dominions without their consent
→
established that Dominion laws could not be invalidated for repugnancy to UK law → laid constitutional foundations of the modern Commonwealth realms → recognized the Dominions as autonomous communities within the British Empire → redefined the role of the British monarch in the Dominions → |
| follows |
Imperial Conference of 1926
→
Imperial Conference of 1930 → |
| grants |
full legislative autonomy to the Dominions
→
legislative equality between the Dominions and the United Kingdom → |
| historicalSignificance |
key step in the constitutional evolution from British Empire to Commonwealth of Nations
→
|
| introducedBy |
James Henry Thomas
→
|
| legalStatusInAustralia |
in force
→
|
| legalStatusInCanada |
in force
→
|
| legalStatusInIrishFreeState |
superseded
→
|
| legalStatusInNewZealand |
in force
→
|
| legalStatusInSouthAfrica |
repealed
→
|
| legalStatusInUK |
partly in force
→
|
| legislativeBody |
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
→
House of Lords → |
| longTitle |
An Act to give effect to certain resolutions passed by Imperial Conferences held in the years 1926 and 1930
→
|
| parliament |
Parliament of the United Kingdom
→
|
| relatedTo |
Australia Act 1986
→
Canada Act 1982 → New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1947 → |
| shortTitle |
Statute of Westminster 1931
→
|
Referenced by (18)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Australia Act 1986
→
Ceylon Independence Act 1947 → New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1947 → New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1947 ("Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947 (New Zealand)") → |
relatedTo |
|
Dominion of Australia
→
Dominion of Australia ("Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942") → |
significantEvent |
|
Imperial Conference of 1926
→
|
followedBy |
|
Dominion of Canada
→
|
fullAutonomyInstrument |
|
British monarch
→
|
furtherDefinedBy |
|
British Dominions
→
|
hasLegalBasis |
|
Treaties of the United Kingdom
→
|
hasPart |
|
Treaties of New Zealand
("Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947")
→
|
includes |
|
South Africa
→
|
independenceEvent |
|
British monarchy
→
|
keyEvent |
|
Anglo-Irish Treaty
("Statute of Westminster 1931 (regarding dominion autonomy)")
→
|
legalSuccessor |
|
Statute of Westminster 1931
→
|
shortTitle |
|
Irish Free State
→
|
signed |
|
Dominions of the British Empire
→
|
statusDefinedBy |