§ 8. Lieut-Colonel Liptonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why he deemed it necessary to apologise to the Belgian Government for articles appearing recently in the British Press; and what communications he addressed to the British newspapers concerned.
§ Mr. NuttingAfter a study had been made of articles about His Majesty the King of the Belgians and the Belgian Royal Family in certain sections of the British Press, to which the Belgian Government had drawn the attention of Her Majesty's Government, Her Majesty's 1186 Ambassador at Brussels was instructed to inform the Belgian Government that Her Majesty's Government, while they had no control over the newspapers in question, deplored the publication of articles considered to be insulting to the Head of the Belgian State and the Belgian Royal Family, and dissociated themselves entirely from them.
No communication on this subject was addressed to any British newspaper.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonWhat is the point of making apologies to foreign Governments on behalf of British newspapers if the Government have not the courage to inform the newspapers concerned of the apology which they are making on their behalf? Is it not tending to establish a dangerous precedent if a British Government have to apologise for everything that appears in the British Press to which a foreign Government takes exception, and do foreign Governments apologise to the British Government for what appears in their papers?
§ Mr. NuttingNo question of an apology for the British Press arises; and, therefore, the hon. and gallant Gentleman's supplementary question does not arise.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonDoes not this experience rather add to the case for a properly constituted Press Council?
§ Mr. NuttingThat is not a matter for me.