§ 2.36 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT SIMONMy Lords, may I put a Question of which I have given private notice? It is to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make available, either by White Paper or otherwise, the full text of the invitations issued on February 3 to the Leader; of Parties to a Conference on House of Lords Reform, and of the answers received, inasmuch as what has been released to the Press has not been printed in full.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS (VISCOUNT SWINTON)My Lords, the correspondence was released in full to the Press but I do not think it was fully published—certainly not in all papers, Therefore, with the noble and learned Viscount's permission, I shall be glad to circulate the full correspondence in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ VISCOUNT SIMONThank you very much.
§ [Following is the correspondence which has been exchanged between the Prime Minister and the Leaders of the Labour and Liberal Parties on the subject of House of Lords Reform:
§ 10 Downing Street, Whitehall.
§ February 3, 1953.
§ MY DEAR ATTLEE,
§ As you know, Her Majesty's Government have announced their intention to invite the Leaders of the other main political Parties to consider the question of the reform of the House of Lords. It has long been held by the Conservative Party that such a review is urgently required, if the House is to play its proper part as a Second Chamber under the Constitution, and it is clear that, if such a reform can be achieved by agreement between the Parties, so much the better.
§ It was for this reason that in 1947, during the debates on the Parliament Bill it that time 666 before the House of Lords, the Conservative Party, with the support of both wings of the Liberal Party, urged on the Labour Government of the day the desirability of All-Party conversations, covering both the composition and powers of the House. The Labour Government were good enough to agree to this proposal and the conversations took place and achieved a not inconsiderable measure of success. But it was unhappily found impossible to register a sufficient measure of agreement to justify the Leaders of the Parties concerned, who had been negotiating ad referendum, in submitting joint proposals to their Parties.
§ It appears to Her Majesty's present advisers that the time has now come to make a further attempt. I therefore write, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, to invite the Labour Party to take part in further conversations. Following the precedent of 1947, these would be at first of an informal character, to see whether a sufficient area of agreement exists to justify the holding of a more formal Conference.
§ I greatly hope that your Party will find it possible to accept this invitation, which is sent to them in a sincere desire to achieve an agreed and enduring solution of this long-standing and difficult problem, to the advantage of Parliament and the Nation.
§ I am also sending an invitation to the Leader of the Liberal Party.
§ Your sincerely,
§ (Sgd) WINSTON S. CHURCHILL.
§ The Rt. Hon. C. R. ATTLEE, O.M., CH., M.P.
§ 10 Downing Street, Whitehall.
§ February 3, 1953.
§ MY DEAR CLEMENT DAVIES,
§ As you know, Her Majesty's Government have announced their intention to invite the Leaders of the other main political Parties to consider the question of the reform of the House of Lords. It has long been held by the Conservative Party that such a review is urgently required, if the House is to play its proper part as a Second Chamber under the Constitution, and it is clear that, if such a reform can be achieved by agreement between the Parties, so much the better.
§ It was for this reason that in 1947, during the debates on the Parliament Bill at that time before the House of Lords, the Conservative Party, with the support of both wings of the Liberal Party, urged on the Labour Government of the day the desirability of All-Party conversations, covering both the composition and powers of the House. The Labour Government were good enough to agree to this proposal and the conversations took place and achieved a not inconsiderable measure of success. But it was unhappily found impossible to register a sufficient measure of agreement to justify the Leaders of the Parties concerned, who had been negotiating ad referendum, in submitting joint proposals to their Parties.
667§ It appears to Her Majesty's present advisers that the time has now come to make a further attempt. I therefore write, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, to invite the Liberal Party to take part in further conversations. Following the precedent of 1947, these would be at first of an informal character, to see whether a sufficient area of agreement exists to justify the holding of a more formal Conference.
§ I greatly hope that your Party will find it possible to accept this invitation, which is sent to them in a sincere desire to achieve an agreed and enduring solution of this longstanding and difficult problem, to the advantage of Parliament and the Nation.
§ I am also sending an invitation to the Leader of the Labour Party.
§ Yours sincerely,
§ (Sgd.) WINSTON S. CHURCHILL.
§ The Rt. Hon. CLEMENT E. DAVIES, Q.C., M.P.
§ House of Commons,
§ February 4th, 1953.
§ MY DEAR PRIME MINISTER,
§ I thank you for your letter which I received yesterday afternoon.
§ I have consulted my Liberal colleagues. The Liberal Party welcomes the decision of Her Majesty's Government to invite the Leaders of the other main political Parties to consider this question of the reform of the House of Lords.
§ The Liberal Party is most desirous for the Second Chamber to be reformed so that it can not only perform its functions properly under the Constitution, but also carry the respect and confidence of the people.
§ I am happy to be in a position to accept on behalf of the Liberal Party your kind invitation to attend the Meeting which you will summon on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. I sincerely hope that we shall be able to arrive at an agreement which will receive the support of all Parties.
§ Yours very sincerely,
§ (Sgd.) CLEMENT DAVIES.
§ The Rt. Hon. WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, O.M., C.H., M.P.
§ House of Commons,
§ February 18th, 1953.
§ MY DEAR PRIME MINISTER,
§ I have carefully considered with my colleagues your invitation to take part in an informal conference on the subject of the Reform of the House of Lords. In view of the fact that the previous discussions in 1948 on this subject revealed a fundamental cleavage of opinion between the Labour and Conservative Parties on what is the proper part to be played by the House of Lords as a Second Chamber under the Constitution, we 668 have come to the conclusion that no useful purpose would be served by our entering into such a discussion.
§ Yours sincerely,
§ (Sgd.) C. R. ATTLEE.
§ The Rt. Hon. WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, O.M., C.H., M.P.