§ 47. Colonel ASHLEYasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the recent official statement of the new British Ambassador to the United States of America, in which he declared that proposals for the secession of Ireland from the British Empire have been submitted to the British Cabinet and have been rejected; if he will inform the House who submitted these proposals to the Cabinet; and what precedent exists for a British Cabinet even to consider a suggestion to dismember the British Empire?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe British Ambassador no doubt referred in his speech to the well-known secessionist policy of the Sinn Fein party, which is, of course, repudiated by His Majesty's Government.
§ Colonel ASHLEYSeeing that this is a definite statement, made from the capital of the United States, that a proposal was put before the Cabinet for giving complete independence to Ireland, may we not, here in the House of Commons, know who put that proposal before the Cabinet, and what reason there was for rejecting it?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI have not myself noticed the exact terms of the Ambassador's speech, but I presume it refers to the obvious fact that the Sinn Feiners aim at a republic. It was, of course, never considered in the Cabinet.
§ Colonel ASHLEYWill the right hon. Gentleman issue an authorative denial of this statement, which was reported in all the public Press of this country as having been officially given by the new Ambassador, Sir Auckland Geddes?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI have just made a statement which I think is a denial.