HC Deb 18 February 1965 vol 706 cc1355-7
Q1. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Prime Minister whether he will undertake a Commonwealth tour as an earnest of his intention to strengthen the links between Commonwealth members and to increase trade.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)

It is Her Majesty's Government's policy to do everything possible to foster the Commonwealth connection, both in trade and other fields. I have already visited Canada and I have accepted invitations to visit India, Pakistan and Malaysia later in the year. In addition I have, of course, met leading statesmen from nearly every Commonwealth country.

Mr. Hamilton

I appreciate the energetic endeavours of my right hon. Friend in this matter, but does not he agree that in view of the ominous sounds currently being made by the Leader of the Opposition about the Common Market, which seem effectively to write off the Commonwealth, will my right hon. Friend take the advantage of this Question to announce now that he will undertake a trip of this kind to reassure our Commonwealth friends?

The Prime Minister

I do not think that it needs a visit by me to the Commonwealth to provide reassurance in relation to the speech made by the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition. I thought that that was very effectively dealt with in the speech of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary yesterday. I am sure that the fears of my hon. Friend will be allayed when the right hon. Member the Leader of the Opposition answers some of the questions that my right hon. Friend put to him in his speech yesterday.

Sir Alec Douglas-Home

May I say that I have sent a copy of my speech to the Foreign Secretary, so that he may read it right through?

The Prime Minister

I happen to know that my right hon. Friend has read it right through—and I read at any rate the full account of it. But there are a few unanswered questions and I am sure that the country will be delighted to have a further exposition by the right hon. Gentleman whenever he is able to give it.

Mr. Fisher

The right hon. Gentleman always talks a great deal about increasing Commonwealth trade. Can he tell us whether he now has a positive plan for expanding that trade?

The Prime Minister

This is not just a question of talk, because when we were in Government before we had a much higher proportion of trade with the Commonwealth than we have ever had before or since. I should be glad to remind the hon. Gentleman of the devastating way in which that proportion fell during the last 13 years, and particularly in the last five years. As I have made plain, we shall be discussing at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference this year a number of plans for reversing that trend.

Mr. Heath

Does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that when he was in power before, all the sterling area restrictions were in operation and multilateral trade and convertibility were not possible? Is he arguing that further sterling restrictions should be introduced, to enable this to happen again?

The Prime Minister

I always thought that the right hon. Gentleman did not know much about Commonwealth trade. If he thinks that the whole of the big development in Commonwealth trade at that time was due to the fact that he mentioned I would direct him, at some time, when he has a little time to spare from other pursuits, to study the effect on Commonwealth trade of the 52 long-term contracts that we had with Commonwealth countries on primary produce.