David Lloyd George became Britain's Prime Minister in December 1916. A month previously, General Haig had gone back to London towards the end of the Battle of the Somme to re-assess the military and political situation with the Cabinet.

Due to the tremendous loss of life and the changing public attitude towards the Battle of the Somme — due partly to the release of the official film of the battle — some Cabinet Ministers were actively seeking an end to the conflict.

Call for peace

Haig summarised this in a diary entry for 25 November 1916, the day after the Somme ended:

'Mr Lloyd George (S of S for War) came to see me and bid me goodbye as I am leaving on Monday for France. He told me that he considered the political situation serious. Lord Lansdowne had written a terrible paper urging that we should make peace now, if the Naval, Military, Financial and other Heads of Departments could 'not be certain of victory by next autumn'.