PRIME MINISTER (ENGAGEMENTS) (Hansard, 23 March 1978)

§ Q1. Mr. Neubert
asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 23rd March.

§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Michael Foot)
In the absence of my right hon. Friend, I have been asked to reply.
Today my right hon. Friend is in Washington, where he is having talks with President Carter.

§ Mr. Neubert
Will the Lord President today be replying to the letter from the Communist Party which was sent to Labour MPs inviting them to join in a formal political alliance? What will his answer be? As this is the first anniversary of the Lib-Lab pact, does the prospect of another pact allure him?

§ Mr. Foot
I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman has not looked at these matters as closely as he might. If he read the newspapers more fully, he would see that the secretary of the Labour Party has already replied to the letter rejecting any such proposal.

§ Mr. Forman
Will the Lord President also take a little time to drop a friendly memorandum to the Prime Minister pointing out that if the Government in a forthcoming General Election campaign were to follow the policies set out in the White Paper "The Challenge of North Sea Oil"—especially the proposals with regard to the National Enterprise Board—they would lead to rightful disaster for the Labour Party?

§ Mr. Foot
I reject in total everything that the hon. Gentleman has said, including his suggestion that this might be an appropriate moment in time to send a billet-doux to the Prime Minister.

§ Mr. Molloy
When my right hon. Friend meets the Prime Minister, will he mention to him that the whole House applauds his endeavours to achieve reasonable co-operation between the Powers of the free world regarding the present economic situation? Will he also mention to him that he ought to see the general secretary of the TUC and perhaps have a world conference held by the Confederation of World Trade Unions, because I am sure that they have a contribution to make as well?

§ Mr. Foot
I believe that the trade unions have a contribution to make. Indeed, the trade union organisations of Western Europe have been urged by their Governments to adopt some of the measures which the British Government would like to see adopted much more widely. I believe that the whole country wants to see something really effective done on an internationtal scale and welcomes the initiative that the Prime Minister has taken—and will continue to take—until we get the widespread international action that is so sorely needed.

§ Sir K. Joseph
Does the Lord President support or not support the proposals of his party's Scottish conference to nationalise the 220 largest manufacturing companies?

§ Mr. Foot
The Labour Party does not support those proposals. Those proposals, and the proposals made by other sections and representatives of the Labour Party, will be discussed in the normal manner. The manifesto that we shall present at the next General Election will be devised accordingly to the general constitution of the party. But I can give a clear answer to the right hon. Gentleman that we do not accept the proposals that have been made by the Scottish section of the Labour Party.