Why did the British government reject Western Australia’s attempt to leave the Australian Commonwealth?

The British government rejected Western Australia’s attempt to secede from the Australian Commonwealth in 1935 because it declared that it lacked the legal power to grant such a request.1

Following a 1933 referendum in which Western Australians voted two-to-one in favor of secession, the movement faced delays under the subsequent Labor government. By the time the British government issued its declaration regarding its lack of authority to intervene, the secessionist movement had largely lost its momentum and effectively folded.1