§ Q4. Mr. Wyattasked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Secretary of State for Defence at Harrogate on foreign and economic affairs on Saturday 4th April represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir.
§ Mr. WyattI am glad that the right hon. Gentleman does not deny that the Minister made the speech as reported in The Times, as he did last Thursday. Is he aware that the Minister said in this speech that he approved the idea of pooling nuclear weapons? Can the Prime Minister explain how that policy differs 201 from the policy of the Labour Party, which evidently makes the Prime Minister so cross?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman would read out the quotation. [HON. MEMBERS: "It would be out of order."] Then perhaps he will send me the quotation, which I can look at further. Nothing that I have seen suggests that the speech that I have read, or the accounts of it which I have read, does not conform to Government policy.
§ Mr. WyattThe report in The Times said—[HON. MEMBERS: "Order."]—the Prime Minister asked me for it; I am trying to give it. The Minister said, according to the report, that the time would come
when we might pool nuclear weapons".
§ Mr. WebsterOn a point of order. Are verbatim quotations in order, Mr. Speaker?
§ Mr. SpeakerSome people are better at summarising the subject matter than others are. It remains the fact that verbatim quotations from speeches are out of order in Questions. In this case the dew of mercy came into my eye because—if I may say so—the Prime Minister a little bit invited it.
§ The Prime MinisterThe sentence that caught my eye in my right hon. Friend's speech was that
it would need Solomon himself to judge issues of this kind and that Mr. Wilson…
§ The Prime MinisterThis is the speech of the Minister. He said that Mr. Wilson had not got Solomon; he had only got Mr. George Brown.