§ 41. Mr. Lewisasked the Prime Minister why his office is engaged in sending out propaganda published by the Conservative and Unionist Central Office, London, S.W.1; and whether he will take such action as will prevent civil servants and State money being used for this purpose.
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman sent me some letters from his constituents about the situation in the Middle East and asked me if I would send him an individual reply to each constituent which he could forward to them. In reply the hon. Gentleman was sent the necessary number of copies of the text of my Ministerial broadcast of 3rd November, which afforded a statement in convenient form of the policy of the Government. These copies contained no matter save the transcript of my broadcast. They were printed by the Conservative and Unionist Central Office.
§ The Prime MinisterI imagine that the hon. Member would be pleased that that would save Government expenditure. In any event that affords no foundation for the suggestion made by the hon. Member in his Question.
§ Mr. LewisAre we to take it, therefore, that the Prime Minister's new policy is to save a few pounds by having the Conservative Central Office publish his propaganda speeches and to spend a few million pounds by carrying out this action in Suez? May I ask him—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Mr. Lewis.
§ Mr. LewisMay I therefore ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will give an assurance that in future, if that is Government policy, such speeches will be printed by the Stationery Office or Government Departments while leaving the false propaganda to go out from the Tory Central Office, as is the usual custom?
§ The Prime MinisterQuite clearly it was only a transcript of what I said on the B.B.C. but I will ensure that in future it is done at Government expense, on B.B.C. paper.
Mr. H. WilsonSince the Conservative Central Office seems to have been disseminating copies of the Prime Minister's latest broadcast, will be arrange for it also to publish and distribute copies of the broadcast which he made at the beginning of August, in which he described in such graphic terms the effect on the nation's economy and that of Western Europe of a closure of the Suez Canal and a denial to us of oil supplies, and add to that his comment on how far he thinks that those warnings are now justified?
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir, I stand by the broadcast, and the right hon. Gentleman and anybody else can read it when they like.
§ Commander DonaldsonIs my right hon. Friend not aware that one of the most valuable pieces of paper issued as a document was the transcript of the speech of the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell)? It was very helpful to the country and informative to the people and supported our policy.