§ Q6. Mr. Ennalsasked the Prime Minister what progress has been made in the furtherance of the aims of Her Majesty's Government's policy in Spain.
§ The Prime MinisterThere has been no change in the Spanish position with regard to Gibraltar and no indication of any willingness on their part to make it possible for us to hold talks with them.
§ Mr. EnnalsWould my right hon. Friend agree that the time has come to make further representations? Would my right hon. Friend also agree that when, a year ago, he decided to oppose the frigate deal, it was perfectly clear, even at that time, that the Spanish Government intended to bring pressure to bear upon Gibraltar?
§ The Prime MinisterWe are having discussions and we make representations 306 to the Spanish Government whenever it is relevant to do so. But it is a fact that when this argument arose last year over Spanish frigates, I warned the present Leader of the Opposition that it was already clear that there was going to be a squeeze on Gibraltar by the Spanish Government. Yet at that time the right hon. Gentleman, perhaps for other reasons, wanted to do the frigate deal.
§ Mr. FisherMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman, after eight months of complete inaction on behalf of Gibraltar, what proposals the Government have in mind in order to implement their undertaking, given in Command 2632, to defend and sustain the interests of the people of Gibraltar?
§ The Prime MinisterThe interests of the people of Gibraltar are being defended and sustained. What I have said, and I hope the House agrees, is that we do not consider that a situation has been reached where we should start to take it out on Spain with any kind of direct attack on Spain. I hope the whole House agrees with that. The hon. Gentleman has a lot to explain, since this started a year ago. For reasons we all appreciate, his own Government were falling over themselves to supply frigates to Spain at that time.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeWill the right hon. Gentleman accept that, of course, hon. Members on both sides of the House agree that we must defend our rights in Gibraltar and the rights of the people who live there? Does he also accept that it is very foolish, in the industrial and economic situation in which Britain is, to import political considerations into our commercial policy and to deny this country orders which it would otherwise have?
§ The Prime MinisterWhat I do accept is that the right hon. Gentleman, being perfectly well aware of what the reaction of the Spanish Government was to the Gibraltar situation last year, was quite wrong, for the sake of what he thought would be a popular vote catching-measure, to offer—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. ShinwellDoes not my right hon. Friend recall that for many years before the Labour Government came in successive Conservative Governments imported 307 political prejudice into commercial policy between this country and the Soviet Union?
§ The Prime MinisterI think some right hon. Gentlemen opposite served a very long apprenticeship in Spanish matters.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeDoes not the Prime Minister realise that his right hon. Friend, for once, was completely inaccurate, and that the only impediments to trade with Russia which were put on were with the agreement of our N.A.T.O. allies?
§ The Prime MinisterI thought my right hon. Friend was referring to prejudice before the war. I was not aware that the Arcos raid was done with our N.A.T.O. allies.
§ Mr. SpeakerMr. Biggs-Davison. [Interruption.] Order. It is even difficult for the hon. Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison) to know that he has been called.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonSince the Prime Minister claims that he anticipated the present trouble over Gibraltar, was his worry over these frigates that they would be used to form a Spanish armada to capture Gibraltar? Secondly, may I ask him whether it is not the case that, as part of the support given by European countries to sterling recently, he has accepted financial aid from Spain for that purpose?
§ The Prime MinisterSo far as the warnings a year ago are concerned—the exchange of courtesy which the right hon. Gentleman the present Leader of the Opposition and I had at that time—I specifically in one statement said that Spain would step up the pressure on Gibraltar and that this was a reason for not sending the frigates. We made clear a year ago, and we have made clear at all times since, that, while we want to see the development of peaceful trade and financial relations with Spain, this is a very different thing from providing them with arms, particularly when there is this trouble about Gibraltar.
§ Mr. WoodburnSince the Question refers to Spain and not the Spanish Government, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he would amplify his last answer and make clear that this country 308 is ready to give every support to the democratic forces in Spain which are hoping one day to become the Government?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that this raises a very much wider question because the Question relates to Gibraltar and does not refer to the democratic forces in Spain.
§ Mr. GoodhewOn a point of order. The Question does not mention Gibraltar at all. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would apply his mind to the Question.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat does not raise a point of order. What is said appears in print on the Order Paper.
§ The Prime MinisterIn answer to my right hon. Friend's supplementary question, the position has been made clear by us, and I thought by hon. Members on both sides of the House, that we look forward to the fullest flowering of democracy in all our European partners at the earliest possible moment, east and west of the Iron Curtain.