§ Mr. BRIDGEMANasked the Prime Minister whether his attention had been called to a meeting held at Trowbridge on Saturday last at which the Patronage Secretary to the Treasury and Mr. Geoffry Howard were present; whether he authorised the statement made by the Patronage Secretary that if the West Wiltshire Liberal Association saw fit to adopt Mr. Howard, the Prime Minister's private secretary, as their candidate, and to return him as their Member it was probable that he, the Prime Minister, would appoint Mr. Howard to an office under the Crown, so that the Constituency would still be in the confidence of His Majesty's Government; whether, at the time this inducement to select a candidate who was a stranger to the Constituency was made, the pleasure of the Crown had been formally signified in respect of the appointment destined for Mr. Howard; and whether, in view of the fact that the intervention of the Patronage Secretary in the Constituency under these circumstances and his conditional promise of office for the Liberal candidate are an interference with that freedom of election which the electors of this country are in these days presumed to enjoy, he will undertake that such promises shall not in future be made by members of the Government?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI understand that the meeting was a private one, to which the Press were not admitted. I have read the summarised report of the speech of the Patronage Secretary to the Treasury, to which the hon. Gentleman refers, and I find nothing in it to which exception can legitimately be taken. It cannot be pretended that anything that was said at a private meeting by way of recommendation of a particular candidate can be construed as interference with the freedom of election enjoyed by the electors of this country.
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANWill the Prime Minister be kind enough to answer the question in the middle of my rather long paragraph: Whether, at the time this inducement to select a candidate who was a stranger to the constituency was made, 440 the pleasure of the Crown had been formally signified in respect of the appointment destined for Mr. Howard?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI do not think it had been formally signified, but the matter was in process of being signified.
§ Mr. WALTER LONGThe Prime Minister laid stress on the fact that the meeting was a private one. Is it within his knowledge that the communication which appeared in the Press must have come from those at the meeting, and therefore it was by their deliberate intent that the statement made by the Patronage Secretary was made public?
§ Mr. JAMES HOPEMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he considers the speech of the Patronage Secretary consistent with the letter and spirit of the Statute of Queen Anne regulating the election of Ministers?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI have not considered it maturely, but, at first blush, I should say it was perfectly consistent.