HC Deb 20 March 1975 vol 888 cc1847-8
Q1. Mr. Norman Lamont

asked the Prime Minister whether he will place in the Library a copy of the transcript of his interview on Thames Television on 3rd March on ministerial responsibility.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on 14th March. Mr. Lamont: Will the Prime Minister tell the House how the speech of the Secretary of State for Education and Science, for which he rebuked the right hon. Gentleman, differed from the speech by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last night and from the speech by himself in Taunton? What on earth is wrong in saying that the trade unions should not welsh on the social contract?

The Prime Minister

I think that it is an offensive phrase in the first place —[HON. MEMBERS: "Rubbish."' It has caused considerable offence in Wales, as I heard again last night—[Interruption.] I am not surprised at laughter from a party which cannot win seats in Wales at a General Election. Secondly, the speech made certain assertions—I dealt with these at Question Time a fortnight ago—which did not seem to me to be a complete and fair representation of the position. My own speech in Taunton said exactly what I had said in the House in reply to Questions on this matter. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not, as far as I know. make any speech last night. The hon. Member may be referring to short newspaper accounts of a statement that my right hon. Friend made at a party meeting yesterday of which there was no transcript and which I heard. That was certainly quite different from what was said by my right hon. Friend.

Mr. Ward

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the more important part of the speech by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education was that which congratulated the courageous stand taken by many leading trade unionists in encouraging their members to stand by the social contract?

The Prime Minister

That is something which my right hon. Friends and I have been saying—certainly, in my case, since the TUC Congress last September—and which I repeated at Taunton.