HC Deb 05 February 1974 vol 868 cc1023-5
7. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans have been made for a joint Anglo-French nuclear deterrent.

Mr. Ian Gilmour

None.

Mr. Hamilton

Will the Minister give an assurance that there has been and will be no discussion of this matter, as it is accepted policy on both sides of the House that our defences should be based on NATO and not on bilateral arrangements of this kind and it would be very much regretted if such an agreement were sought with the French?

Mr. Gilmour

As the hon. Gentleman is well aware, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and many other members of the Government have repeated in the House several times that while such nuclear collaboration may be desirable in the long term there have been no discussions about it in the near term. I entirely agree with the hon. Member that NATO is an important factor.

Mr. Wall

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Committee of Nine recently reported to the North Atlantic Assembly advocating such a force as the start of an integrated European defence force? Will he keep these two questions carefully under consideration?

Mr. Gilmour

I am aware that the Western European Union committee said that. My hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Mr. Critchley) was the rapporteur of that extremely interesting report. But it does not affect our view that this is a matter for the long term and not for the immediate present.

Mr. Peart

Is the Secretary of State aware that the Prime Minister recently gave an interview to a French newspaper defending his original concept which he declared in a Godkin lecture many years ago? Is he also aware that any attempt to create outside NATO an Anglo-French nuclear force would be detrimental to detente and would harm relations with countries like West Germany?

Mr. Gilmour

I am well aware of the interview which my right hon. Friend gave to Figaro, but he did not say anything different from what he has said in the House or from what I have told the House this afternoon.

Mr. Walters

On the assumption that in the long term it would be useful to have a European defence system that is better integrated than it is at present, would it not be sensible to continue discussions with the French on the possibility of a joint deterrent force which eventually would become the European deterrent force?

Mr. Gilmour

I must reiterate that, although there are obviously long-term attractions in the idea put forward by my right hon. Friend in the Godkin lectures, there are considerable difficulties, and I do not think that we would wish to go on any further in discussion of this matter at present.

Mr. Paget

Is it not a fact that we could not form a joint nuclear force with the French without breaking our agreements as to confidentiality with the Americans?

Mr. Gilmour

It is perfectly true that that is one of the factors to be taken into account.