§ Q3. Mr. Stonehouseasked the Prime Minister what official machinery exists to co-ordinate the policies and actions of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development and President of the Board of Trade, and the Secretary of State for Defence in relation to United Kingdom economic, diplomatic, and military relations with Spain.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Cabinet.
§ Mr. StonehouseIf it is not out of order, may I thank the Prime Minister for at last agreeing to answer this sort of Question? Before the right hon. Gentleman made his electioneering speeches in the country on the supply of frigates to Spain, was he certain that an order had been placed and were the negotiations about the supply of arms to Spain merely a preamble to discussions for Spain to be 1021 admitted to some military alliance with us? Where does the Prime Minister draw the line? Is he now prepared to supply any sort of arms to Spain?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. There is a Question on the Order Paper which I hope to answer if hon. Members will let me come to it. On this Question, we had no reason to suppose that there was not going to be this order, and a great many other orders would probably have followed. The Spanish people desire to buy British. I do not really know how hon. Members opposite have the face to raise this question again.
§ Mr. HastingsDoes not my right hon. Friend agree that what is really necessary is some machinery to co-ordinate the ideas of the Leader of the Opposition? Is my right hon. Friend aware that there were most promising negotiations for the supply of steel products which had nothing to do with these frigates, and they have suddenly evaporated since the Leader of the Opposition made his intervention'.' Is it not probable that this event has done much to negate the effect of the British Trade Fair this spring?
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir. I am bound to say that I have been profoundly disturbed by these developments, and I think that a great weight of responsibility rests on the shoulders of the Leader of the Opposition and other hon. Members opposite, in that when everyone else is striving to increase exports right hon. and hon. Members opposite are doing their utmost to discourage them.
Mr. H. WilsonSince the right hon. Gentleman is always telling us how strong the economy is, may I ask him whether he is saying that after 13 years of his Government's rule, full employment and our balance of payments depend on the sale of frigate plans to Spain? If this is so, will the right hon. Gentleman tell us how many jobs have been lost and how many millions of foreign exchange have been lost by the Government's refusal to permit the sale of peaceful merchant ships to the Soviet Union and a peaceful atomic reactor to Rumania?
§ The Prime MinisterThe question of Soviet Union ships must depend upon an order coming from the Soviet Union. No 1022 order has come. In reply to the first supplementary question that the right hon. Gentleman asked me, I do not say that the whole of our future depends upon one—[Interruption.] If hon. Members opposite do not want to listen, I quite understand why they do not. The whole of the trade of our country does not depend upon one order, but here is a new market in which we can make inroads, and the right hon. Gentleman has effectively seen that it is closed to us.
Mr. WilsonIs the right hon. Gentleman really telling us that General Franco has decided the outcome of the election, even if the right hon. Gentleman has not? Secondly, does the right hon. Gentleman deny that his Government vetoed the sale of merchant ships to Russia and more recently—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. We want to make better progress with the Prime Minister's Questions, and we cannot unless we listen.
Mr. WilsonDoes the right hon. Gentleman further deny that the Government vetoed an oil-for-ships deal with the Soviet Union? Finally, is it not clear from evidence accumulating day by day that the Prime Minister rushed in a bit early on this and that, following the leak from Government sources to the Daily Express, there were interventions by American and other sources? Is it not clear that the whole thing was a put-up job?
§ The Prime MinisterThe right hon. Gentleman is doing his best but he has—[Interruption.]—It is not my responsibility if these Questions are going on and on. I am going to answer the right hon. Gentleman's question. I am entitled to say that he made a deplorable mistake, and he knows it. We are only too anxious to trade with the Soviet Union but this must be on an ordinary commercial basis. The Government do not veto trade with the Soviet Union. Indeed, we have shown this year that we have done a great deal of trade with the Soviet Union and we intend to do much more.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe House will have to find another occasion to debate this matter. We must get on.