THE NATION DIVIDED (Hansard, 21 January 1974)

§ Mr. Harold Wilson
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Are we now to have a statement on the very important talks which broke down at Downing Street today? The matter was, I understand, raised in the concluding stages of the debate on the motion. [An HON. MEMBER: "Why were you not here?"] I was not here because the Prime Minister did not listen to my hon. Friend the Member for Hitchin (Mrs. Shirley Williams), and there is no reason why I should listen to the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary. But during the time I was out of the Chamber I heard from Ministers of the Crown, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, very important statements on the welfare of the nation which have not been given to the House. May we now have a statement from the Government?

§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. James Prior)
Further to that point of 1336 order. It has never been the usual practice of the House for statements of this nature to be made at this time of night. I shall convey the right hon. Gentleman's wishes to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. If the Opposition wanted to be reasonable and fair about this, it would be far better for them to await a statement at the proper time, rather than to have it tonight.

§ Mr. Wilson
Further to the right hon. Gentleman's statement, that would be an acceptable proposition if the Chancellor had not been quite clear 10 minutes ago what the nation should be told. If he was clear about it, why is not the Prime Minister clear enough about it to tell the House? In view of the line the Leader of the House is taking—and we do not want half an hour of points of order—[Interruption.] No. We want a statement about what has been happening to the country. We have had it on television, but we have not had it in the House. Therefore, I ask the right hon. Gentleman to give not an assurance that he will bring my question to the notice of his right hon. Friend but a positive assurance that after Questions tomorrow there will be a statement by the Prime Minister about what has happened today.

§ Mr. Prior
Having been in opposition a number of years, I find the very thought that the right hon. Gentleman never went on television unless he had made a statement to the House first a little hard to put up with. Having said that, I will go no 1337 further than to say—[HON. MEMBERS: "Resign."]—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I want to hear what the Lord President has to say about business for tomorrow.

An Hon. Member
Let the right hon. Gentleman speak for the House and not the Tory Party.

§ Mr. Prior
I will speak for the House, and I will speak for my own Government. [Interruption.] The more Opposition Members shout, the worse it will get. I shall, of course, convey the sentiments of the House to my right hon. Friend. I should be very surprised if he did not want to make a statement tomorrow afternoon in view of what has happened this evening. But I cannot commit him in advance.

§ Mr. Orme
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Is it the same point of order?

§ Mr. Orme
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

§ Mr. Speaker
Is the hon. Gentleman raising a different point of order?

§ Mr. Orme
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the House is responsible to the House as a whole, and the statement which he has just made is a disgrace. He has a responsibility to the House to treat the House with the respect it deserves.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I ask the House to help the Chair. The point is not really a point of order. It is a convention of the House that Opposition Front Bench spokesmen such as the Leader of the Opposition, or whoever it may be, may ask a question on business under the guise of a point of order. It is not the convention of the House—[Interruption] Order.

§ Mr. Speaker
I must be allowed to finish my sentence. It is not a convention of the House that this so-called point of order can be extended and that other hon. Members can join in. That is not the custom of the House, and I ask the hon. Gentleman not to persist.

§ Mr. Orme
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I understand the point which you are making. I follow up the point which I have just made about the Leader of the House with a question—namely, will a statement be made to the House? The right hon. Gentleman did not give a clear answer to my right hon. Friend.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. That is precisely the point with which I was trying to deal. I allow the Leader of the Opposition or Opposition spokesmen to raise this so-called point of order, but it is the convention of the House that once it has been dealt with it shall not be allowed to develop into a debate. Therefore, we will go to the next business.