§ 84. Miss WILKINSONasked the Home Secretary on whose authority and for what reason two police officers disguised as waiters attended a private dinner given to an ex-Cabinet Minister and several other hon. Members of this House at the Boulogne Restaurant, Soho, on 14th May?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSTwo police officers dined in the public room of the Boulogne restaurant on the night in question, but they did not attend the hon. Member's dinner disguised as waiters.
§ Miss WILKINSONMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether his Department has been supplied with any notes from those two police officers as to any speeches that were made at that dinner?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSI certainly am not going to give any answer as to any notes of any kind supplied to the Department over which I have the honour to preside.
§ Miss WILKINSONMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he will answer my question? I did not ask for the contents of those notes, I simply asked whether it was a fact that any such notes were supplied.
§ Captain BRASSIs it not the fact that the name "Boulogne Restaurant" is merely camouflage for a Russian restaurant?
§ Miss WILKINSONMay I ask whether or not the two police officers were there in an official capacity, or otherwise?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSI told the hon. Lady in my answer that two police officers dined in the public restaurant. I do not wish to conceal anything from the House. I knew nothing of this until yesterday, and I made inquiries. They were sent there by higher authority, but they were not disguised as waiters, and they did not attend the hon. Lady's dinner. What they went there for it is not my duty to tell the House.
§ Mr. W. THORNEThey went there to spy.
§ Miss WILKINSONIs it the policy of the Government to exercise surveillance over their political opponents?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSNo; and I go so far as to say that had I known that the hon. Lady and her friends were dining there, those police officers would not have been sent, and I will undertake that they shall not be sent again.
§ Miss WILKINSONThank you.
§ Mr. SHORTAre you aware, Mr. Speaker, that an hon. Member opposite made a reference to this restaurant based purely on the supposition that it was associated with Russia? Is it not a well-understood course in this House that all 2022 questions, whether supplementary or otherwise, should be founded upon sound information, and not upon supposition. In this case the reference is likely to do considerable injury to this particular restaurant. Are you aware that this restaurant is an Italian restaurant?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI cannot say that I have ever been there. I must deprecate any hon. Member putting questions which are likely to damage either persons or companies.
§ Captain BRASSI understood that this was a Russian restaurant. If I have said anything wrong, I withdraw.
§ Mr. THORNEIt is more respectable than the club that you go to, anyhow.
§ Mr. BUCHANANWithdraw it! Be a man.
§ Captain BRASSI have stated that I understood this was a Russian restaurant. I made that statement because I understood it was so. I have withdrawn the statement, and I do not know what the hon. Member is referring to.
§ Mr. W. THORNESome of you fellows have got red heads. [Laughter.] I understand that some of my hon. Friends think I am referring to the hon. Lady (Miss Wilkinson). As a matter of fact, she has got auburn hair, and not red hair.