HC Deb 18 November 1976 vol 919 cc1560-2
Q2. Mr. Neubert

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to meet the President-elect of the United States of America.

Q6. Mr. Townsend

asked the Prime Minister when he intends to meet the President-elect of the United States of America.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Members to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend) on 11th November.

Mr. Neubert

When the Prime Minister meets Mr. Carter, will he discuss with him the presence in this country of American citizens apparently hostile to Western security services? As Mr. Agee has been settled in the United Kingdom for some months, why has the taking of action been delayed for so long?

The Prime Minister

I understand that there is a Private Notice Question to the Home Secretary about this matter and I have no doubt that he will wish to deal with it when it is asked. However, in general, we take our own decisions on the issue of foreign nationals living in this country and I would not discuss the matter with President-elect Carter.

Mr. John Mendelson

In the reports he has received about the election campaign, has my right hon. Friend noticed—I hope with approval—that the President-elect has carried on a successful campaign in favour of increased public expenditure to create more jobs in the United States? Does he agree that the American trade union movement, which played a considerable part in President-elect Carter's success in the election, was particularly responsible for supporting this programme, with the result that the new Administration creates a fresh atmosphere of hope? Will my right hon. Friend therefore co-operate in this policy and adopt some of these wise counsels for his own Administration?

The Prime Minister

I do not find the economic circumstances of individual countries necessarily strictly comparable. For example, unemployment in the United States is far higher than it is here. There may be a need for different types of measures for different countries. However, what is clear is that there is a growing interdependence among the economies of the Western world and that we cannot solve our problems if we each take decisions in isolation.

Mr. Townsend

Will the Prime Minister discuss with Mr. Carter his strong and positive statement on the Cyprus question? Bearing in mind that Britain is a guarantor Power and that Cyprus is a fellow member of the Commonwealth, will he make certain that British policy on Cyprus is kept in line with that of the new Administration in Washington?

The Prime Minister

I could not guarantee that. We would each approach the problem of Cyprus in our own way. We would, of course, attempt to coordinate policies, and I have no doubt that there will be discussions between President-elect Carter's new Administration and the Foreign Secretary in due course on these issues. However, I would not guarantee to be subservient to the United States or to anybody else.

Mr. Whitehead

If President-elect Carter should raise with my right hon. Friend the systematic campaign carried on by Conservative Members to denigrate the loyalties, as well as the abilities, of hon. Members of this House, will he draw to his attention the remarks of the right hon. Member for Sidcup (Mr. Heath) to the effect that it was unworthy for a party to attempt to claw its way back to power by a systematic witch-hunt of the very poor and of political opponents?

The Prime Minister

Would my hon. Friend expect anything else from the Opposition? Surely, the bankruptcy that they have shown and their complete incapacity to put forward any rational alternative policies must lead them either into elevating an unelected body such as the House of Lords or into attacking the integrity of their opponents—or trying to run scare campaigns on dole scroungers. That is what we always expect of the Conservative Party, and I am not a bit surprised.