§ Mr. Max Madden (Bradford, West)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerOh, my goodness. Does the hon. Gentleman want to be called in this debate?
§ Mr. MaddenI have not applied to speak in the debate, Mr. Speaker. If you remember, I said several hours ago, at the end of the private notice question on BCCI, that I wished to raise a point of order. A number of my constituents have lost their life savings as a result of the collapse of this bank, and others face redundancy because companies have collapsed as a result of the closure of the bank. They will resent the Prime Minister's charge that those who are seeking the truth about the reasons for the collapse of the bank are muck-raking.
You may recall, Mr. Speaker, that during the exchanges on the private notice question, the hon. Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce) referred to a senior Labour councillor in Bradford as a salesman for BCCI. I have attempted to contact the hon. Member for Dorset, South by letter and telephone since he made those remarks. It will be known to many in Bradford that he was clearly referring to Councillor Mohd Ajeeb, a former lord mayor of Bradford, who was an adviser to the bank, but severed his links with it in 1989.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. That may well be, but what is the point of order for me? I cannot possibly know things like that, especially if names are not mentioned.
§ Mr. MaddenThe point for you, Mr. Speaker, is that it was clearly an inaccurate smear and a slur, in the best traditions of muck-raking. I hope that you will require the hon. Member for South Dorset to withdraw those rather serious allegations.
§ Mr. SpeakerI cannot be held responsible, as I have said several times, for what is said. The hon. Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce) may have been inaccurate—I have no knowledge of that—but he was certainly not out of order.
§ Mr. Stuart Bell (Middlesbrough)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I apologise to you for causing you offence during the supplementary questions to the private notice question. It was a heated moment, when the Opposition were extraordinarily irritated by the Prime Minister's accusation of muck-raking. I draw your attention to the fact that, in the Parliament in which Lord Callaghan was Prime Minister, when he made a remark that was offensive to the then Leader of the Opposition—the right hon. Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher)—the Opposition withdrew their facilities and cross-party co-operation. The Leader of the House is here, and in front of him I say to you, Mr. Speaker, that it is not in the service of Parliament that personal insults should be traded between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. No doubt those who have ears can hear.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat may well be so, but many rough things are said in this Chamber, particularly in July and particularly as we approach the end of a Parliament. These things are often forgotten when we go into recess.