Britain was prepared to introduce martial law if Anglo-Irish Treaty talks failed 

It was made clear to the Irish negotiators that the threat of 'immediate and terrible war' by British prime minister David Lloyd George was not an empty threat

British prime minister David Lloyd George (far left, 1863-1945) with two of his negotiating team for the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Frederick Smith (1872-1930) and Winston Churchill (1874-1965). Picture: Central Press/Getty Images

The British government readied plans to introduce martial law, suspend civil courts, and enforce press censorship in the event the Anglo-Irish Treaty talks failed 100 years ago, a conference has heard.

In the latest episode of the ‘Glencairn Conversations’, hosted by British ambassador Paul Johnston to mark the centenary of the signing of the Treaty, on December 6, 1921, it was made clear the threat of “immediate and terrible war” by British prime minister David Lloyd George was not an empty threat.