In 1929, the Conservatives lost the general election, and Ramsay MacDonald became the new Labour prime minister. At this time, the Conservative party was trying to put tariffs (taxes) on imports to make trade in the British Empire stronger. Other people, including Lord Beaverbrook, a businessman who owned a lot of newspapers, disagreed, saying that trade should be free. Lord Beaverbrook started a new party to fight the Conservatives. Chamberlain fought Beaverbrook's part in an election, and won. This made him very popular in the Conservative party.