WI: No Passchendaele?

Late in May 1917, after the Us entered the war and the Nivelle's offensive was already failed, David Lloyd George pressed for a halt in offensive operations in France and Flanders. He wanted to conduct a defensive campaign there, waiting for American troops, while launching more offensive campaigns in Italy (against A-H Empire) and Palestine (against Ottoman Empire). At the beginning of this debate, large part of the War Cabinet supported Lloyd Geroge ideas. But, later in June, Robertson (Cinc British land forces) and Haig (Cinc BEF) prevailed and their plans for a new offensive at Ypres prevailed.

What if David Lloyd George ideas prevailed and there was no Third Ypres Campaign in August-November 1917?

Would be possible a defensive (instead of offensive) campaign in France and Flanders?

Would be possible, for British forces, concentrate their effort on other fronts (Italy and/or Palestine)?

Could those peripheral campaigns achieve better results?

Let's discuss.
 
I'm aware this is a 4 year bump, but the search feature led me here, where I found my question written better than I had considered.

That said, does anyone have any thoughts on this question? WI there's no 1917 Passchendaele offensive and the British don't attack on the Western Front?
 
It isn't quite going to go away - the capture of Messines Ridge will probably still happen, and after the French mutinies I think the British have to fight some sort of battle to keep the Germans occupied: if they launched an offensive of their own against the French there's a potential disaster in the making, and Passchendaele certainly meant they couldn't do that.
Still, if they cut the battle a lot shorter after the initial successes then I think the British would be in a rather better situation. Lloyd George is less likely to starve them of manpower in 1918 (off the top of my head there were something like a million men under arms in the UK "defending against an invasion" when the German offensives hit), which means the ATL Amiens-equivalent probably happens earlier in the year. So assuming the French survive 1917 (a very real worry), I think the war is probably a little shorter.
 
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