§ 4.22 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT ADDISONMy Lords, I beg to move that this House do now adjourn.
§ Moved, that this House do now adjourn.—(Viscount Addison.)
THE MARQUESS OF READINGMy Lords, as I said in my previous intervention, I am sorry to have to take up the time of your Lordships' House on a matter which one would have hoped 1389 would be non-controversial. I am sorry that, because of a previous urgent engagement, my noble friend Lord Samuel is unable to be present to deal with the matter. At the outset, let me say without reservation that we rejoice at the fact that the noble Lord, Lord Layton, is to form part of the British delegation on this occasion, and that not only our delegation but the whole Assembly will have the benefit of his immense experience in this matter which he acquired as Chairman of the United Europe Movement in this country.
The point to which I have to call attention is one of considerable moment—certainly, to us of the Liberal Party. The situation is that my noble friend goes on this delegation on the nomination of the Government, without any consultation with the Liberal Party in either House of Parliament, and that for the first time the position of the Liberal Party as a recognised Opposition has been completely ignored. That is a situation which we cannot overlook without protest. In this House the noble Viscount the Leader of the House has throughout been scrupulous in consulting the Leader of the Liberal Party as well as the Leader of the Opposition. The same procedure has been followed in another place. Whenever there is a question of consultation between the Leaders, the Leaders of the Liberal Party in both Houses have been called in. Whenever there is a statement to be made, the statement has been given in advance to the Leaders of the Liberal Party in both Houses. When there was an allocation of broadcasting time, the Liberals were included for an allocation of the available time. Now, for the first time, that position is attacked.
It was announced that the membership of the British delegation would be eighteen. The official Opposition were allotted six—quite rightly, if I may say so—and they were given, I understand, the opportunity to discuss amongst themselves who those persons should be and to submit their nominations to the Government. And in due course the Government accepted them and included them in the delegation. At that time no approach was made to the Liberal Party. They were ignored, and the fact that the noble Lord, Lord Layton, is a member of the delegation is, for this purpose, completely adventitious, because as I say, 1390 he is not there on the nomination of the Liberal Party, nor is he there because of his Liberal political views, but because he is the Chairman of the United Europe movement. The question is not whether the noble Lord should or should not be there; everyone would agree that he should. The question is whether it is right for the Government, for the first time, to have ignored altogether in this connection the fact that there was a Liberal Opposition, and to have refused them any opportunity to nominate a member.
After all, the Council of Europe is a subject which makes an immense appeal to Liberals, and there are more Liberals in this country than the limited number at present in the House of Commons. It makes an appeal not only to Liberals in this country, who have taken a prominent part in building up the organisation; it makes an appeal also to those Liberals whose resurgence on the Continent of Europe is a remarkable feature of to-day's politics and who would be surprised, and indeed dismayed, to find that the Liberal delegation on this occasion contains no member nominated as a Liberal by the Liberal Party in this country. I find it impossible to allow the Statement which the noble Viscount was good enough to make to pass without making it perfectly plain that we are surprised, disappointed and indignant at the treatment we have received.
§ VISCOUNT ADDISONMy Lords, I shall, of course, convey to my right honourable friend the observations of the noble Marquess. I cannot but feel he is under some misapprehension on this subject, but owing to the short notice I have had, I have not been able to ascertain precisely all the steps that were taken, and therefore I can give only a provisional reply. I can assure the noble Marquess that I will repeat all he has said to my right honourable friend. I can well imagine, in view of the eminent part which Lord Layton has taken in this question, and the prominence of the place that he occupies in the Liberal Party, that the view might well have been taken that no more suitable and representative Liberal could have been chosen.
THE MARQUESS OF READINGMy Lords, may I say this? If that had been the view, would it not have been at least courteous to consult the Liberal Party in advance as to whether they 1391 thought Lord Layton was the right representative? They might well have thought he was.
§ VISCOUNT ADDISONMy Lords, as to that, all I can say is that, in my usual rôle of peacemaker, I will convey the remarks of the noble Marquess to my right honourable friends. The noble Marquess knows very well that we are most meticulous in observing these courtesies to one another, and I am sure there was no intention on anybody's part to depart from them on this occasion.