What if: Anthony Eden is the first Minister (Coord Def)

[perfectgeneral]

What if Eden was more generally opposed to the Foreign Office position he was asked to represent and sought out the rearmament post as a safer pair of hands than the Old Guard publicly rattling their sabres (Churchill, Amery et al).

Would/could he do the job better than Inskip? As a member of the War Cabinet, when Chamberlain resigned, would he have been offered the job of PM before Churchill?

 

[Colonel Grubb]

Considering it would be viewed as a demotion, why would Eden take it? I doubt he’d bother, especially if it was the result of difference of policy between himself and the PM (either Baldwin or Chamberlain). It would seem out of character for him and given the status of the portfolio, I doubt he could have done any more than Inskip did OTL.

 

[Simon]

Wasn't Inskip chosen precisely because he didn't have any personal following and wouldn't cause any problems for the government? Aside from it being a demotion as Colonel Grubb mentioned I do have to wonder if Chamberlain would have trusted someone that came asking for the job – it would rather seem to suggest that they might haves ideas.