Captain CRAIGI wish, Mr. Speaker, to raise a question of privilege. I desire to ask you, Sir, whether the report which appears in this morning's "Daily Mail," and which purports to be an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is not a breach of the privileges of this House. "Traders who think they are unfairly treated," he says, and these words "he says" are in parentheses, "may take one of two courses: they may behave as business men and come to me, or they may behave as politicians and go to Mr. Austen Chamberlain. In the latter case the battle will be fought out in the House of Commons, and they will get what comfort the Opposition usually does get—that is very little."
I ask you, Sir, whether that is not a breach of the privileges of this House, and an attempt to intimidate traders who are sitting upon the Unionist Benches, into crawling on their knees to the right hon. Gentleman—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. and gallant Member has given me no notice that he was going to raise this question—
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEHe gave me no notice either.
§ Mr. SPEAKERAnd I have not been able to consider the precedents; but, on the face of it, I should say that no question of privilege arises. It seems, if the interview is correctly reported, to be a statement made outside this House by a politician.