§ 41. Mr. Stonehouseasked the Prime Minister if he will propose to the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference that South Africa, on becoming a republic, shall be excluded from membership of the Commonwealth until the policies of apartheid and racial discrimination are discontinued.
§ The Prime MinisterI have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eton and Slough (Mr. Brockway) on 21st February.
§ Mr. StonehouseIs the Prime Minister aware that not everybody can be an admirer of his perfection of the art of evasion, and that the time has come for him to realise that he cannot be all things to all men all of the time? In view of the unanimous condemnation by the House of the practice of apartheid, and the almost unanimous condemnation of that practice by the people of the United Kingdom, cannot the right hon. Gentleman come off the fence and tell South Africa that the continuation of this practice is—[Interruption.]
§ The Prime MinisterIt is common practice in the House when a Question has been answered only two days previously to refer to that Answer.
§ Mr. WadeIn any discussion which the Prime Minister may have on this subject at the forthcoming Conference, will he bear in mind that the treatment of the peoples of South-West Africa cannot by any stretch of the imagination be regarded as part of the internal affairs of the Union of South Africa, and that the continued breach of the mandate is a serious embarrassment to a multiracial British Commonwealth?
§ The Prime MinisterAll those considerations are relevant, but we shall determine our policy, as always, in consultation with our Commonwealth partners.