§ Q2. Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Prime Minister whether he will now make a statement on Government policy with regard to British membership of the European Economic Community.
§ Q3. Sir Knox Cunninghamasked the Prime Minister if he will now make a statement about the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the United Kingdom and Europe and in par- 206 ticular with regard to the European Economic Community.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer hon. Members to my statement of 10th November and to the speeches by myself and by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary in the debate on 16th and 17th November.—[Vol. 735, c. 1539; Vol. 736, c. 446; Vol. 736, c. 759.]
§ Mr. St. John-StevasWhile my hon. Friends and I were grateful for the Prime Minister's conversion, will he not now go further forward to total immersion and accept that while the letter of the Treaty of Rome is certainly economic, the spirit of the Treaty is profoundly political?
§ The Prime MinisterMy study of these theological matters in early youth suggest that there is a difference between being a Baptist and being a strict Baptist. So far as the distinction between the economic and political and defence content of the Treaty of Rome is concerned, I think that I dealt with that, and in greater detail I dealt with the misunderstanding about my reference to politics and defence. However, all hon. Members interpret differently their motivation for going into the European Economic Community.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamCan the Prime Minister give any indication at all of the progress he is making with the visits to be paid by himself and the Foreign Secretary to various countries in Europe, and in particular to the President of France?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. I think that the hon. Gentleman will be aware that a meeting of the E.F.T.A. Prime Ministers is to be held in London next Monday. Following that, we will have to work out the detailed programme for visits to the capitals of the countries of the Six.