The London Declaration was a declaration issued by the governments of the Commonwealth of Nations on the issue of India's continued membership of the Commonwealth. It was made in London, the capital of the United Kingdom and of the Commonwealth, on 28 April 1949,^[1] and marked the birth of the modern Commonwealth.^[2] The declaration had two main provisions. First, it allowed the Commonwealth to admit and retain members that were not Commonwealth Realms, including both republics and indigenous monarchies. Second, it renamed the organisation from the 'British Commonwealth' to the 'Commonwealth of Nations', reflecting the first change. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their Queen and head of state. ... in particular, for the archaizing senses of republic, as a translation of politeia or res publica Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A republic is a form of government maintained by a state or country whose sovereignty is based on consent of the governed... For the comic series, see Monarchy (comics). ...

The former term included the device of terminology that would reflect both the developing political independence, and the right of countries in the Commonwealth to be republics, and the commonality of allegiance that was the cornerstone of the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westminster 1931.^[1] This proved to be a major stumbling block, until a compromise position was agreed by the Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, who planned a position of 'Head of the Commonwealth', separate but held by the same person as the monarch. Allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed by a subject or a citizen to his state or sovereign. ... The Balfour Declaration of 1926 is a statement of the October-November 1926 Imperial Conference of British Empire leaders in London. ... This article is about the Statute of Westminster relating to the British Empire and its dominions. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the Minister of the Crown who is head of the Government of Canada. ... Louis Stephen St. ... The present British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is the second to be recognised as Head of the Commonwealth in the 53 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. ...

Thus, the declaration stated vis-à-vis India:

This formula has since been deemed to be a sufficient precedent for all other countries. In law, a precedent or authority is a legal case establishing a principle or rule that a court may need to adopt when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. ...

The issue had been discussed at the 1948 Prime Ministers Conference, the agenda of which was dominated by the imminent decisions of the governments of both India and Ireland to declare themselves republics.^[2] At the meeting, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru proposed a 'Ten Point Memorandum' on the settlement between India and the Commonwealth, under which the President of India would act as the representative of the British monarch in India.^[3] The Cabinet Committee on Commonwealth Relations recognised that Nehru's proposals could not constitute a basis for continued Commonwealth membership, and that a further conference would be required.^[2] 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: , IPA: , from Persian Javâher-e Laal, meaning Red Jewel) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964) was a political leader of the Indian National Congress, a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the first Prime Minister of Independent India. ... The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. ...

At the next conference, in April 1949, Nehru, seeking above all to avoid two-tiered membership,^[2] conceded a more agreeable three-point programme, based upon common Commonwealth citizenship, a declaration of India's continued membership, and recognition of the monarch in a separate capacity as that as monarch.^[2] This met general agreement, particularly with the new South Africa Prime Minister Daniel François Malan, and, over the next two days, the draft was crafted into a final agreement.^[2] To avoid criticisms about dropping the word 'British' from the name of the Commonwealth, Nehru conceded a reference to the 'British Commonwealth of Nations' in the opening paragraph of the document as an historically-appropriate reference.^[2] A Commonwealth citizen, formerly known as a British subject, is generally a person who is a national of any country within the Commonwealth of Nations. ... This is a list of South African Prime Ministers. ... Daniel François Malan Daniel François Malan (22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a Prime Minister of South Africa. ...

King George VI was reticently in favour of the separation of the positions of King and Head of the Commonwealth, having met and liked Nehru, but was concerned with the practicalities.^[2] News of the agreement was hailed by all those on the opposition benches in the British House of Commons, including Winston Churchill and Clement Davies.^[2] By contrast, Jan Smuts, who had been defeated by Malan in the South African general election the previous year and was considered second only to Churchill as a Commonwealth statesman,^[4] was bitterly opposed.^[5] George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. ... Clement Edward Davies (February 19, 1884–March 23, 1962) was a UK politician and leader of the Liberal Party between 1945 and 1956. ... Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS (May 24, 1870 – September 11, 1950) was a prominent South African and Commonwealth statesman, military leader, and philosopher. ... The South African general election of 1948 saw DF Malan calling for the prohibition of mixed marriages, for the banning of black trade unions and for stricter enforcement of job reservation. ...

See also

• Commonwealth of Nations membership criteria

Commonwealth of Nations membership criteria have been altered by a series of documents issued over the past seventy-five years. ...

Footnotes