COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT (Hansard, 9 July 1974)

§ Q3. Mr. Rifkind
asked the Prime Minister what plans he has to seek a meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government.

§ The Prime Minister
My Commonwealth colleagues and I have already agreed to meet in Jamaica on 29th April 1975.

§ Mr. Rifkind
I am grateful to the Prime Minister for that reply, but does he appreciate the urgent need for an early meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in order that he may be made aware of the unanimous view of the Commonwealth that it would be disastrous for Britain to leave the EEC, not only for Britain—[Interruption]—but also for each and every member of the Commonwealth?

§ The Prime Minister
I know that the hon. Member had a very close connection with Commonwealth matters some time ago, but he is not nearly so well in touch today. He will know that the New Zealanders and others have been severely prejudiced, as have all the countries covered by the sugar agreement, by the deplorable terms the Conservatives accepted in 1971.

§ Mr. Stonehouse
In anticipation of the meeting, has my right hon. Friend had any communication from the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Australia about the recent French nuclear tests? Is it proposed that the Commonwealth should take any steps about the matter?

§ The Prime Minister
We are of course in touch with the Prime Ministers concerned. We have indicated to the House our view on the tests, regretting that they are taking place but at the same time welcoming that the President of France has said that this will be the last series.

§ Mr. Heath
Is not the time coming when the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary should tell the House clearly that the view of Commonwealth Governments is that it is wrong for the British Government to cause uncertainty by renegotiating the treaty terms? There are many other hon. Members who are fully in touch with Commonwealth Governments and Commonwealth leaders, and those Governments have expressed their view clearly to us. New Zealand is greatly worried by the delay that is now ensuing in the review of its own terms as reached under the Treaty of Accession as a result of the time taken by the Government. That is the situation in the Commonwealth. As for the sugar agreement, the Prime Minister knows that we are not getting the amount we should get under the agreement because of world prices, which have nothing whatever to do with European prices. It is time the Prime Minister told the House clearly that the Commonwealth does not want this country to leave Europe.

§ The Prime Minister
The right hon. Gentleman is wrong on every point in his statement. It is certainly the case that while negotiations are going on, which will then lead to a decision by the British people—against the right hon. Gentleman's wishes—as to whether we should stay in the EEC, the Commonwealth countries are asking for a fairer share of the development aid, and we are being extremely active on their behalf. I have heard from no Commonwealth country the statement that we should not have engaged in renegotiations.
This is a matter for the British people. It is a matter on which the right hon. Gentleman must be ashamed of the terms he negotiated. He supports our engaging 1140 in renegotiations, so why does he not say so? If he did not support renegotiations, he would not have tried to win votes by putting the word "renegotiation" in his party's manifesto at the last election. "Renegotiation" was his phrase. New Zealand wants to be free to sell goods to us because, especially at a time when the commodity situation—[Interruption.] The right hon. and learned Member for Hexham (Mr. Rippon) should regard his record in this matter with humility and sit in silence. New Zealand is well aware of the problem of selling its goods in a situation where commodity prices are falling. It wants to be able to keep the British market open, a situation which the right hon. Gentleman did nothing to defend.
As for the right hon. Gentleman's other question—[HON. MEMBERS: "Too long."] The right hon. Gentleman put a whole number of questions to me, and however unpalatable it may be to the Opposition I intend to answer them because he will have to defend his position in the General Election. [HON. MEMBERS: "When?"] Sooner than the right hon. Gentleman wants. As for his question about Commonwealth sugar, of course there is a world shortage of sugar; of course the Commonwealth can sell it elsewhere. My Department negotiated the agreement in 1951 on the basis—[Interruption.] It was thrown away by the Conservatives. That agreement was based on a continuing secure market for the Commonwealth producer in this country, and that we are determined to achieve whether the Leader of the Opposition wants it or not.

§ Mr. Heath
Perhaps the Prime Minister should ask his Home Secretary and the 68 other Labour Members who voted for the agreement we made whether they are ashamed of the terms which were negotiated, because the Home Secretary knows, as did the former Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, Lord George-Brown, that they were better terms than the present Prime Minister could have got in negotiation. If the right hon. Gentleman is prepared to quote the whole of our manifesto be will be telling the House that we said that renegotiation is a continuous process, which goes on the whole time in the Community. Indeed, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary has said that he will not change the treaty 1141 or the Treaty of Accession. He is carrying on the process which every country which is a member of the Community does. It goes on the whole time.
This is a complete charade to cover the differences in the ranks behind the Prime Minister, but none the less a very dangerous charade. When the election comes, we shall certainly be able to face the electorate on this matter. As the right hon. Gentleman has mentioned a General Election, may I ask him whether it will be announced by himself or by the Chancellor of the Exchequer or the Secretary of State for Employment?

§ The Prime Minister
It will not be announced this time by Lord Carrington or by a whole series of former Conservative Ministers, most of whom have now left the Conservative Front Bench. It will be announced in the proper manner and, in accordance with the precedents over many years, the right hon. Gentleman will be given prior notice.
As to the Common Market terms, all my right hon. and hon. Friends fought the last General Election on our manifesto, which set out the demand for renegotiations and for a final decision by the British people through the ballot box, which is rejected by the anti-democrats on the Opposition benches. We fought the election on that and we shall fight the next election on it as well.

Several Hon. Members rose
—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. With great respect, may I remind the House that we are not yet fighting the election.

§ Mr. Heath
Why was the Prime Minister so—

§ Mr. Tomlinson
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is Question Time a duologue, or can anybody join in?

§ Mr. Speaker
That is what I often wonder.

§ Mr. Heath
May I ask the Prime Minister why, in view of what he has just said, he persisted in saying that it was anti-democratic until July 1971, twice declaring that a referendum would be unconstitutional and entirely against the traditions of this country? In his own words, he said that the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition both agreed that there should not be a referen 1142 dum. Why, now that he has changed his mind to suit his own circumstances, does it suddenly become democratic?

§ The Prime Minister
Because we made it clear, as the right hon. Gentleman did, that we would not take the country into the Common Market without the wholehearted consent of the British people. The right hon. Gentleman rejected that pledge. We have made an honest woman of it.

§ Mr. Thorpe
May I intrude into this duel between two old contemporaries and revert to the question about the Commonwealth? Has the Prime Minister considered paying an urgent visit to Canada? Is he aware that he would find that the Parliamentary Liberal Party there has increased in number and that, therefore he would feel entirely at home?

§ The Prime Minister
I have always had the best possible relations with Mr. Trudeau. Perhaps in these pre-coalition days between the major and the minor Tories the right hon. Gentleman will point out to his right hon. Friend opposite—the Leader of the Opposition—that public opinion polls, on which he is today pinning a pathetic faith, are not always right.

§ Mr. Faulds
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I must protest on behalf of back benchers on both sides of the House about the virtual monopolisation of Prime Minister's Question Time by the exchange between the two Front Benches. May I point out to both right hon. Gentlemen concerned that if this is a foretaste of what we shall have at the next bloody election, the country is going to be bored to bloody tears.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. No doubt both right hon. Gentlemen will give appropriate weight to what the hon. Gentleman has said.