Editing Ernest Bevin (section)

==Foreign policy interests==
During the 1930s, with the Labour Party split and weakened, Bevin co-operated with the Conservative-dominated [[National Government (United Kingdom)|National Government]] on practical issues, but during that period, he became increasingly involved in foreign policy. He was a firm opponent of [[fascism]] and of the British [[appeasement]] of the fascist powers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Toye|first1=Richard| author-link = Richard Toye | title=The Labour Party and the Economics of Rearmament, 1935–1939|url=https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/26952/Rearmament.pdf|publisher=University of Exeter|access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> In 1935, arguing that [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Fascist Italy]] should be punished by sanctions for its recent [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|invasion]] of [[Abyssinia]], he made a blistering attack on the [[pacifists]] in the Labour Party and accused the Labour leader [[George Lansbury]] at the Party Conference of "hawking his conscience around" and of asking to be told what to do with it.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Goddar|first1=Pete|last2=Hatwal|first2=Atul|title=Labour history uncut: Ernie Bevin "hammers George Lansbury to death" and changes the course of party history|url=http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2014/01/02/labour-history-uncut-ernie-bevin-hammers-george-lansbury-to-death-and-changes-the-course-of-party-history/|publisher=Labour Uncut|access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> Bevin's efforts to promote sanctions were successful, with an overwhelming majority of delegates voting in favour of sanctions.<ref>Bouverie, Tim (2019). ''Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War'' (1 ed.). New York: [[Tim Duggan Books]]. p. 99. {{ISBN|978-0-451-49984-4}}. {{OCLC|1042099346}}.</ref>

After the vote at the conference, Lansbury resigned and was replaced as leader by his deputy, [[Clement Attlee]], who, along with Lansbury and [[Stafford Cripps]], had been one of only three former Labour Ministers to be re-elected under that party label at the [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931 general election]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bew|first1=John|title=Clement Attlee: An unromantic hero|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/09/unromantic-hero|access-date=16 March 2017|work=New Statesman|date=26 September 2013}}</ref> After the [[1935 United Kingdom general election|November 1935 general election]], [[Herbert Morrison]], who was newly returned to Parliament, challenged Attlee for the leadership but was defeated. In later years, Bevin gave Attlee, whom he privately referred to as "little Clem", staunch support, especially in 1947, when Morrison and Cripps led further intrigue against Attlee.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Beckett|first1=Francis|author-link = Francis Beckett|title=Clement Attlee, the original Ed Miliband|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/06/clement-attlee-original-ed-miliband|access-date=16 March 2017|work=New Statesman|date=20 June 2014}}</ref>

Bevin was a member of the British delegation to the second British Commonwealth Relations conference. It was held at Lapstone, Sydney, Australia in 1938 organised by [[Chatham House]] and the [[Australian Institute of International Affairs]] with delegations from all the then existing Commonwealth countries.<ref>{{cite book | editor-last=Hodson | editor-first=H.V. | title=The British Commonwealth and the Future. (Proceedings of the second unofficial conference on British Commonwealth Relations, Sydney, 3rd-17th September 1938 | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=1939}} (issued under the auspices of The Royal Institute of International Affairs).</ref>