HC Deb 22 June 1965 vol 714 c1463
Q1. Mr. Ridley

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the First Secretary of State on 14th April about prices and incomes to the Scottish Trades Union Congress represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)

Yes, Sir.

Mr. Ridley

Is the Prime Minister aware that the First Secretary of State said that the Government had no intention of running a policy of wage restraint? How can one possibly have an incomes policy which does not include an element of wage restraint?

The Prime Minister

There is rather a big difference here. I have seen what is perhaps a rather fuller account of what my right hon. Friend said than appeared in the Press. His main theme was that economic planning required the planning of incomes but that the Government had no intention of running a wage restraint policy on its own, for the important thing was that it must be part of a general incomes policy. I think that previous attempts to have a wage restraint policy broke down because of the lack of fairness. They were not applied to prices and to other forms of income.