§ 8.11 p.m.
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir John Simon)I would ask your leave, Mr. Speaker, to move the adjournment of the Debate for the purpose of making a very short statement relating, I hope you will think, to the general subject matter of these Estimates, and to inform the House of the answer which the German Government have given to the Note which, as the House knows, was delivered to them this afternoon.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe House must be well aware that the rule which governs Motions for the adjournment of the debate is that any debate which takes place on that Motion must be strictly germain to the Motion itself. At the same time, I am sure that the House would not wish to be impotent on an occasion of this kind, but I hope that the House will realise that this is in the nature of stretching a point. Though it is quite impossible to lay down a rule, we must not create a precedent. It is as well to have it on record that we do not wish if we can help it to create a precedent in this way.
§ Sir J. SIMONI beg to move, "That the Debate be now adjourned."
I thank you, Sir, for permitting me formally to move the adjournment of this Debate. It is, I think, well understood by Members in all parts of the House, and it will be evident from the nature of the statement, that there can be no debate on this Motion. It will be within the recollection of the House that at Question Time, in answer to the Leader of the Opposition, I informed the House that His Majesty's Ambassador in Berlin had been instructed to deliver a Note to the German Government. At that time 914 it was not possible to inform the House of the contents of that Note, but it was made available in the Vote Office as soon as I had received information that Sir Eric Phipps had in fact discharged his task. Later in the afternoon, therefore, hon. Members provided themselves with the White Paper containing the terms of the Note. The last paragraph of that Note put a question to the German Government, and perhaps I may be allowed to read part of the sentence:
His Majesty's Government feel bound to call the attention of the German Government to the above considerations "(in the Note)" and they wish to be assured that the German Government still desire the visit to take place with the scope and for the purposes previously agreed.I have now received a report from His Majesty's Ambassador in Berlin, the effect of which I wish to convey to the House. He informs me that, having delivered the Note, the Note was considered by Baron Von Neurath, the German Foreign Minister, and that, as a result, he was informed that the German Government would still wish this visit to take place, and they agree that the conversations would take place within the scope and for the purposes previously agreed. The House will see that the condition we thought we should lay down is accepted by the German Government. I would only add that the German Government, as I understand, made an announcement of the terms of this reply in Berlin, and it is therefore now very widely known. I am obliged to you, Sir, for permitting me to make this statement.
§ 8.16 p.m.
§ Mr. LANSBURYI will do my best to obey your ruling and not attempt to debate the statement of my right hon. Friend. I wish, first, to say that we propose to ask for time, before the right hon. Gentleman leaves for Berlin, to discuss both the White Paper which was issued and all the events which have led up to it. We shall not ask that that shall be debated in any restricted manner but in the widest manner possible by the House. With your permission, I would like to say that if the Patronage Secretary is agreeable, we would like to discuss the time when that may be done. I would also like to make it clear why we were so insistent that the statement be made. In spite of what the right hon. Gentleman has said we gathered from conversations in the Lobby the full content of 915 what is to appear in the London Press to-morrow morning in reference to the communication which the right hon. Gentleman made to the Press to-night. We felt that neither the Press nor the British Broadcasting Corporation should be allowed to make a statement on public policy before it had been made to this House. I wish to join with the right hon. Gentleman in very heartily thanking you, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all Members of the House of Commons, for having broken tradition so far as to allow this statement to be made to-night.
§ 8.18 p.m.
§ Sir HERBERT SAMUELI also wish to join in that expression and to say, only in a sentence, that I believe that the statement of the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs will be received with general satisfaction.
§ Sir J. SIMONI beg to ask leave to withdraw the Motion.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.