§ 4.4 pm
§ Mr. Crispin Blunt (Reigate)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Having just sat through the two days of the defence debate, you will have been as surprised as I was by the headline in The Times today: "Britain to back defence role for Europe". Nothing that was said by Defence Ministers in this place could possible bear that interpretation, despite the fact that the Government were being pressed on the matter by my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maples) and by my right hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Sir G. Johnson Smith).
It is now clear that, while the House was debating defence, the Prime Minister was briefing Philip Webster and other journalists from Europe about an important change in defence policy as regards Europe. The only question is whether the Secretary of State for Defence and his team were party to the contempt of Parliament or whether they were victims of the high-handed treatment to which we have become used.
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman will resume his seat. I gave the hon. Gentleman an opportunity to put that question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office during Question Time. If he did not like the answer that he received, that does not give him a reason to put the same question to me now.