HC Deb 20 October 1953 vol 518 cc1807-9
54. Mr. Ian Harvey

asked the Prime Minister whether he is in a position to make a statement with regard to the restoration of university seats.

The Prime Minister

Her Majesty's Government continue to regret the abolition of the university seats as a breach of the all-party understanding at the Speaker's Conference of 1944. Time has, however, moved on and after a full sympathetic review of the question, we do not wish to raise all the controversy which this restoration of plural voting would involve. Neither can we accept as satisfactory the alternative of filling university seats by the votes of those graduates alone who, if given the choice, would vote in a university instead of a territorial constituency. For these reasons the Government have decided, with regret, that restoration of university seats in the House of Commons should be dropped.

Mr. Harvey

Does the Prime Minister realise that hon. Members on this side of the House, while regretting the circumstances under which these seats were abolished and the loss of valuable Members of this House, recognise the wisdom of this decision? Does he also realise that, the value of university representation having been vitiated by being brought into party political spite, this decision will be applauded by everyone?

Dr. King

Is the Prime Minister aware that on this side of the House we welcome his late conversion to the democratic principle of "One man, one vote"?

Sir H. Williams

Does my right hon. Friend realise that about one-quarter of the graduate electors in fact were serving overseas and that this was the only device whereby large British communities overseas had any contact with the House of Commons?

Mr. H. Morrison

Whilst repudiating the Prime Minister's allegations about the Speaker's Conference—it was amply debated at the time—may I, on behalf of us all on this side of the House, say that although the Prime Minister made specific pledges upon this matter, nevertheless we welcome the fact that he has decided to abandon those specific pledges and not to complicate the electoral system by resorting to a return to an utterly undemocratic device?

The Prime Minister

It was not an utterly undemocratic device which the right hon. Gentleman and his Leader, who is sitting near him, agreed to during the talks when we were looking at these matters from a national and not from a party point of view.

Mr. Attlee

Has the Prime Minister not always put the point of university seats not from the national point of view but from the hope that it would give him a majority?

The Prime Minister

I have frequently disagreed very much with some of the statements made by university Members. Of course it may be that the trend of things is to put the most gifted intellectuals in this country more solidly upon the Conservative side. That, no doubt, is an explanation of the right hon. Gentleman's change of position.