HC Deb 09 February 1949 vol 461 cc368-70
43. Mr. Pickthorn

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies till when he proposes that Mr. Anthony Brooke shall be excluded from Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei.

Mr. Creech Jones

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. and gallant Member for Ayr Burghs (Sir T. Moore) on 28th July, 1948.

Mr. Pickthorn

if it is not now possible to give a date on which this ban may cease, is it possible to indicate what conditions would suffice to cause the end of the ban?

Mr. Creech Jones

There has been some recent discussion with Mr. Anthony Brooke himself, but the Governor and the Commissioner General both state that at the moment it would be ill-advised to remove the ban.

Sir T. Moore

Since when has it been the policy of the British Government to prevent British subjects entering British territory?

Mr. Creech Jones

I think it will be appreciated in this case that Mr. Anthony Brooke is something more than an ordinary British subject and, as he has proclaimed the intention of stimulating agitation in favour of his restoration to the throne, it would be exceedingly unfortunate, in our judgment, if he were allowed to enter the territory.

Sir T. Moore

Totalitarianism.

Mr. Teeling

If Mr. Anthony Brooke were to give certain promises to the Commissioner General that he would undertake certain things—to do or not to do—would he then be allowed in; in other words, is it not really up to the Government now to state the conditions on which they would be willing to let him go in?

Mr. Creech Jones

There has just been some further correspondence with Mr. Anthony Brooke, but the situation mentioned by the hon. Member has not yet arisen.

Mr. Pickthorn

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us whether he draws any colour line in this matter and whether Mr. Anthony Brooke's treatment is due to the fact of his being white?

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