§ Rear-Admiral Morgan-GilesI beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the latest situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and its effect on British interests.The House will agree that this matter is specific even if one goes only by the newspapers and the ticker-tape, including the latest information since noon.It is important for a number of reasons. First, the lives of British subjects are still at risk in an island where, however favourable the most recent turn of events, there is still a large number of excitable people wandering about carrying guns. Second, Britain is one of the three co-guarantors of the independent State of Cyprus. Third, British forces are engaged in saving the lives of thousands of British citizens, both residents and tourists, in conditions of real difficulty and danger.
1597 Fourth, the British Government's policy over the Eastern Mediterranean has not been made clear. The new Prime Minister of Greece, whose appointment will be welcomed on both sides of the House, must surely need to know what Her Majesty's Government's policy is regarding Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean as a whole. The new President of Cyprus must surely need to know what their policy is towards the future of the sovereign bases. Similarly, the Government of Turkey, our NATO partner, who have had agonising decisions to take, must need to know what Her Majesty's Government's future defence policy is throughout this area.
The fifth reason why the matter is important is the current operations of the Royal Navy. They seem to have been outstandingly successful in their traditional task of safeguarding British lives and interests so far. They also seem to have justified to the hilt the need to keep a British presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, the need to keep an amphibious force and the need to keep commando carrier ships of the type of H.M.S. "Hermes" and her helicopters.
There is urgency in the need to debate this question because the situation, particularly the naval situation, seems to be altering hour by hour. We have had statements on several days this week but none today about the naval situation. Ships of the Royal Navy are carrying out their rescue missions in constricted waters in which warships of many nations are operating—American, Turkish, Greek and Russian. The risk of mistaken identity and possible incidents is shown by a late Press Report this morning of a Turkish ship being attacked and sunk by Turkish aircraft.
On the subject of urgency, I do not blame the Government for their short-term handling of operations—they seem to have been quite robust, especially in ordering the rescue from the beaches near Kyrenia—but their overall policy needs explaining to the House and to all the Governments in the Eastern Mediterranean. All that the House knows is that the Government have for nearly five months been undertaking a defence review which throws doubt on their resolve to retain bases in the Eastern Mediter- 1598 ranean, particularly Cyprus and Malta, and which threatens to make cuts in defence expenditure which would make such operations impossible—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. and gallant Gentleman is in danger of making the kind of speech that he could make if I were to allow his application.
§ Rear-Admiral Morgan-GilesTo sum up, I would ask the House urgently to debate this matter so that Ministers can tell the House about the safety of British civilians, about the recent operations of our Army, Navy and Air Force and about how much importance the Government attach to the defence of British interests in the Mediterranean. Unless the House debates this as a matter of urgency, the rest of the world will come to look upon Britain under this Government as a giant Welfare State Buddha gazing at its own navel.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. and gallant Gentleman asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration; namely,
the latest situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and its effect on British interests.I listened carefully to what the hon. and gallant Gentleman said—both to the arguments he put forward in favour of his application and to those which seemed in my view to be against it. I have carefully considered this matter. No doubt those who have charge of arranging the business of the House will have regard to the hon. and gallant Gentleman's points, which are important. The only matter for me is whether I think that it is proper to debate them under Standing Order No. 9. I do not.