§ Q1. Mr. G. Campbellasked the Prime Minister in what conditions he will start the proposed re-negotiation of the Nassau Agreement.
§ Q5. Mr. Martenasked the Prime Minister if he will make a further statement on the Nassau Agreement.
§ Q10. Mr. Ridleyasked the Prime Minister if he will specify the aspects of the Nassau Agreement which are now preventing French acceptance of Great Britain as a member of the Common Market.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)Before replying to these Questions, Mr. Speaker, I should make it clear that, while Questions on this subject would normally be for answer by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, I am prepared exceptionally to reply to them today, in view of the exchanges which took place at Question Time on 21st November, and the undertaking I then gave to the hon. Member for Cirencester (Mr. Ridley).
§ The Answer is: I would refer hon. Members to the Answers given to Questions by the hon. Members for Moray and Nairn (Mr. G. Campbell) and Banbury (Mr. Marten) by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 13th November and to the exchanges in this House following my Statement of 20th June on my discussions with President de Gaulle.—[Vol. 754, c. 17; Vol. 748, c. 1418.]
§ Mr. CampbellDoes the Prime Minister agree with the Secretary of State for Defence who, in the defence debate in this House on 27th November, gave as an important reason for the Government's inaction on this that our allies would not wish France to be the only country on this side of the Atlantic which possessed its own nuclear weapons? This was as valid in 1964 as it is now.
§ The Prime MinisterOf course I agree with what my right hon. Friend said. We are having, and have had for a very considerable time, discussions with our allies. One of the big problems throughout the 620 period has been the position of Germany and German responsibility for nuclear weapons, and the feeling on that question, going far outside of Europe.
§ Mr. MartenIn the light of the Government's intention to renegotiate the Nassau Agreement can the Prime Minister say whether it is the Government's intention to fit multi-nuclear warheads to our Polaris missiles and if so how does this fit in with election pledges?
§ The Prime MinisterWe have made clear that we are not embarking on a new generation of nuclear weapons or warheads in relation to our Polaris programme.
§ Mr. RidleyAs the Prime Minister now agrees with the Secretary of State for Defence in that France should not be the only nuclear Power in Europe, does this mean that the pledge to renegotiate the Nassau Agreement is finally and completely buried?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is certainly not buried. I thought that the hon. Gentleman just now quoted words different from those used by my right hon. Friend and from those of his hon. Friend. The original quotation as I understand it, from the first hon. Member, was not my right hon. Friend's view of this, but what our allies in Europe may think. We are discussing with our allies. We shall renegotiate at the appropriate time, when we have reached agreement with them.
§ Mr. OrmeIs my right hon. Friend aware that there is a great deal of feeling among many people that the Labour Party really should carry out its pledge of 1964, and get rid of the independent nuclear deterrent? Is he aware that many people can see no reason why the Polaris programme should continue at this time?
§ The Prime MinisterThe intention of 1964 was not only to renegotiate the Nassau Agreement but to internationalise our deterrent. This remains our policy.
§ Mr. MaxwellMy right hon. Friend will recollect that the Nassau Agreement came into being because of the brutal cancellation, by the United States Administration, of the Skybolt arrangement. Could he not, under these circumstances, now agree to cancel our purchases 621 of the F111? This could save us £450 million in foreign exchange which we desperately need in order to help our balance of payments.
§ The Prime MinisterThat is an entirely different question, and I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend has said in the debate on this matter.