§ 50. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Prime Minister to what extent it is proposed to continue the custom that members of the Government should not contribute to the Press.
§ The Prime MinisterWe shall follow the course prescribed by Mr. Baldwin on 3rd March, 1927, which has guided subsequent Administrations. Mr. Baldwin, the then Prime Minister, said:
The rules which His Majesty's present advisers have adopted preclude the practice by Ministers of journalism in any form; but this inhibition does not extend, and has never extended, to authorship, or to writings of a literary, historical, scientific, philosophical or romantic character, for which there exist numerous and respectable precedents."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 3rd March, 1927; Vol. 203, c 559.]
§ Mr. HughesWill the right hon. Gentleman explain how that affects the serial story that is now running in the "Daily Telegraph" and whether that is included in romantic writing?
§ The Prime MinisterNothing could explain it more fully than my answer.