HC Deb 06 April 1965 vol 710 cc240-2
Q8. Mr. M. Foot

asked the Prime Minister what facilities were provided by Her Majesty's Government to Mr. Terence Robertson, the author of a recently published book on the Suez crisis of 1956.

The Prime Minister

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mr. Rowland) on 2nd March.

Mr. Foot

May I tempt my right hon. Friend to go a little further than he did in those characteristically diffident answers? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Does he appreciate that the most serious accusation made in this book is attributed to the French Prime Minister, M. Pineau, who makes the direct accusation of collusion against the right hon. and learned Member for Wirral (Mr. Selwyn Lloyd)? Does not my right hon. Friend think that an opportunity should be given to the right hon. and learned Member for Wirral to clear his good name?

Mr. Speaker

Order. We cannot, under our rules, get out of the difficulty about making accusations against another hon. Member"s honesty by putting words into the mouth of another.

Mr. Foot

Does not my right hon. Friend—[HON. MEMBERS: "Withdraw."]—think that it would be desirable to provide facilities for Mr. Terence Robertson, and anyone else, who can help to clear up the mystery? Will you tell me, Mr. Speaker, how that is out of order?

Mr. Speaker

I am sorry, I intend no discourtesy to the hon. Member, but I did not hear the last three words he then uttered owing to some odd echo in the amplifying mechanism. If he was saying that he wanted to know how he was out of order, the answer is that it depends on the implication of the word "collusion". In the circumstances it appeared to me to have a certain tang.

The Prime Minister

May I take it, Mr. Speaker, that I am now in order in answering the second supplementary question put by my hon. Friend? To be quite honest, I will tell my hon. Friend that since I last answered Questions on this subject I have been so busy that I have read only 20 pages of the book. I hope to make some progress in the course of the next 24 hours after which I hope to be able to help him on this point. To be honest, I have not reached the point in the book to which he was referring but I have expressed the view that it is up to the right hon. and learned Member for Wirral (Mr. Selwyn Lloyd) to stop all these questions by making a simple statement of the truth.

Sir T. Beamish

Is not it a pity in many ways that Mr. Robertson was not given a certain amount of official help which would have enabled him to present a less biased account of the Suez operation? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that whatever else is said about the Suez operation one thing is certain, that it forestalled a large-scale Egyptian attack—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The question relates to facilities being given for a book. It does not enable us to refight the Suez operation.

The Prime Minister

In answer to that part of the hon. and gallant Member's supplementary question which referred to facilities, I am not certain that would have been the position had it been possible to give facilities. I do not know what would have come out of it. I have not seen the record myself and that is why I hope that it will be cleared one day or another by right hon. Gentlemen opposite.