As Britain 's Prime Minister , Lloyd George requested military assistance from the Dominions at the outbreak of the Chanak Crisis in Turkey in 1922 . He was rejected . The World War had greatly strengthened the sense of nationalism and self-confidence in the dominions . They were now independent members of the League of Nations , and refused to automatically follow requests from Britain 's leaders . The right of the Dominions to set their own foreign policy , independent of Britain , was recognised at the 1923 Imperial Conference . The 1926 Imperial Conference issued the Balfour Declaration of 1926 , declaring the Dominions to be " autonomous Communities within the British Empire , equal in status , in no way subordinate one to another " within a " British Commonwealth of Nations " . This declaration was given legal substance under the 1931 Statute of Westminster . India , however , was denied dominion status and its foreign policy was set by London
1926 Imperial Conference
1926 Imperial Conference
Interwar Britain