--- title: "Cabinet Mission: 1946 British Delegation | Model Diplomat" description: "The Cabinet Mission was a 1946 British delegation sent to India to negotiate power transfer and frame a constitution, crucial for India's independence." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/cabinet-mission" --- [New](https://modeldiplomat.com/) # Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026 TL;DR - The Cabinet Mission was a 1946 three-member British delegation sent to India to negotiate the transfer of power and frame a constitution-making mechanism. - Who were the three members of the Cabinet Mission? - What was the grouping scheme proposed by the Cabinet Mission? - Why did the Cabinet Mission reject the demand for Pakistan? - How is the Cabinet Mission linked to the Constituent Assembly? [Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026 Go beyond the definition ## Research Cabinet Mission like a delegate Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students. ## Timeline 1. 16 May 1946 After the breakdown of the Simla tripartite talks (May 1946), the Mission issued its own Statement of , the central plan. 2. 16 June 1946 The Statement of dealt with the formation of an interim government. 3. 6 June 1946 The Muslim League accepted the plan on but withdrew its acceptance on 29 July 1946 after Jawaharlal Nehru's Bombay press statement (10 July) suggested the C… 4. 29 July 1946 The Muslim League accepted the plan on 6 June 1946 but withdrew its acceptance on after Jawaharlal Nehru's Bombay press statement (10 July) suggested the Co… 5. 16 August 1946 The Muslim League accepted the plan on 6 June 1946 but withdrew its acceptance on 29 July 1946 after Jawaharlal Nehru's Bombay press statement (10 July) sugg… 6. 9 December 1946 The Constituent Assembly was nonetheless elected in July 1946 and first met on , but the League boycotted it. 7. 2 September 1946 The interim government under Nehru took office on . 8. 3 June 1947 The Mission's plan ultimately failed to prevent partition, paving the way for the Mountbatten Plan () and the Indian Independence Act, 1947. ## Positions at a glance ### Indian National Congress The Cabinet Mission was dispatched to India in March 1946 by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee's Labour government to devise machinery for the peaceful transfer of power and to settle the constitutional deadlock between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League. It comprised three Cabinet ministers — Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India, who led it), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade), and A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty) — who worked alongside Viceroy Lord Wavell. The Mission's immediate backdrop was the collapse of the Simla Conference (1945), the post-war financial exhaustion of Britain, the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of February 1946, and Attlee's declaration that Britain intended to quit India. ### All-India Muslim League The Cabinet Mission was dispatched to India in March 1946 by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee's Labour government to devise machinery for the peaceful transfer of power and to settle the constitutional deadlock between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League. It comprised three Cabinet ministers — Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India, who led it), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade), and A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty) — who worked alongside Viceroy Lord Wavell. The Mission's immediate backdrop was the collapse of the Simla Conference (1945), the post-war financial exhaustion of Britain, the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of February 1946, and Attlee's declaration that Britain intended to quit India. ## Research it like a delegate Research on modeldiplomat.com ## Ask a follow-up about Cabinet Mission Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers. [Start research on Cabinet Mission](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20Cabinet%20Mission%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources) Example In 1946, the Cabinet Mission led by Lord Pethick-Lawrence rejected a sovereign Pakistan and proposed a three-tier federal grouping scheme, which the Muslim League repudiated on 29 July 1946, calling Direct Action Day. Keep learning ## Go deeper than the definition Courses [Upsc Modern History](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/upsc-modern-history) [Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services) ## Take Cabinet Mission beyond the glossary Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.