Statute of Westminster

1. the Statute of Westminster 1931 distinguished dominions from colonies and legislation applicable to colonies. Dominions were permitted to pass extraterritorial legislation and no UK legislation was to extend to the dominions unless expressly stated to be by dominion consent. The statute has featured in the development of the constitution (See constitutional law) of Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

2. the Statute of Westminster 1275 was the foundation of the English law of limitation of actions.

An important Act in the constitutional law of the UK but also in many other states' constitutions. Britain's empire changed its nature in the latter part of the 19th century into the first half of the 20th century. Granting of dominion status to Canada was the start, and the British North America Act 1867 was replicated in relation to Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, the Irish Free State and South Africa. The Balfour Declaration of 1926 referred to freely associated nations within a British Commonwealth of Nations of equal status. Common Crown allegiance was the unifying factor.