At the beginning of March Phelan returned to England and his work at the Ministry of Labour where he headed a think-tank dealing with 'foreign questions'. In the Autumn of 1918 he suggested that the Ministry should formulate a policy position for the anticipated peace treaties.
In early March, Phelan returned to England and resumed his position at the Ministry of Labour, leading a group tasked with analyzing foreign issues. Later in 1918, he suggested that the Ministry create a plan for how they would respond to the expected peace agreements.