HC Deb 04 April 1967 vol 744 cc137-8
Mr. Taverne

I beg to move Amendment No. 3, in page 4, line 28, at the end to insert: (5) The reference in this section to an offence of a political character does not include an offence against the life or person of the Head of the Commonwealth or any related offence described in subsection (3) of section 3 of this Act. In Committee, an Opposition Amendment was moved providing that the assassination of the Head of the Commonwealth should not be regarded as a political offence. That Amendment was, I think, warmly welcomed on both sides, and we stated that we would accept it in principle subject to a drafting point—because it did not, in our view, deal with attempts—and subject to discussions with the Palace and informing the Commonwealth.

We have established that Her Majesty would not wish to object to such a provision. In the circumstances, steps have been taken to notify the Commonwealth of the intention to make an appropriate Amendment to the Bill. The whole House will, I think, welcome the Amendment, and we are grateful to the Opposition for putting it forward in the first place.

Sir J. Hobson

We regarded it as one of the major blemishes of the Bill as it appeared originally the omission of any reference to an assassination or attempt at assassination, a conspiracy to assassinate, or any other criminal act connected with or preparatory to the assassination of Her Majesty. We thought it a very great defect in the Bill. We are grateful to the Government for accepting the principle of our Amendment and for the steps which they have taken to secure Her Majesty's gracious approval of the Amendment, to consult the Commonwealth and to table a carefully drafted Amendment to give effect to something of which the whole committee expressed its favourable opinion. We are glad that this omission has been rectified. We are sure that the Amendment is an improvement of the Bill.

May I also thank the Under-Secretary of State for the previous two Amendments which were also helpful in achieving the objects to which we referred in Committee. I did not thank him when we were discussing them. Perhaps I will be allowed to do so now.

Amendment agreed to.