Hailsham was a strong supporter of protectionism (tariffs on goods imported into the British Empire, an aspiration for many Conservatives since Joseph Chamberlain had called for them in 1903). However, he suggested that the Cabinet "agree to differ" on the issue, so that the Conservatives could press on with plans for tariffs, while remaining in coalition with Liberals and National Labour; the free traders left the coalition once tariff plans had been agreed internationally. Hailsham was one of the ministers representing the National Government at the Ottawa Imperial Economic Conference in 1932. At Ottawa, Baldwin told his friend Tom Jones, 'the bulk of the negotiations have been done by Neville , “ably assisted” (as the papers would say) by Hailsham', but Baldwin also wryly admitted that he had let those two do the work 'because if they failed the Die-Hards at home would know it was not from half-hearted trying' (Jones, 49–50).