THE LORD CHANCELLOR (Hansard, 19 October 1954)

§ EARL JOWITT
My Lords, it is, I believe, in accordance with precedent, that the Leader of the Opposition should be the first to extend a welcome to the new Lord Chancellor who has come amongst us. Perhaps your Lordships would forgive me—for our Rules of Order are not very strict—if, before proceeding to do so, I were to express a few words of friendly greeting and farewell to those who are taking or who have left office.
The noble and learned Lord, Lord Simonds, for the past three years has played a most prominent part in our debates, and we all recognise that it is natural enough that he should now leave the dust and heat of political controversy for the relatively Arcadian pursuit of the Law, a pursuit in which he had previously 428 won such great distinction. We all, on all sides of the House, wish him well in his new sphere, with every good luck and good fortune. I greatly hope that the noble and gallant Earl, Lord Alexander of Tunis, will be frequently amongst us and, freed from the cares of office, will give us his views from time to time—for, after all, who is there who can do so with greater authority? Apart altogether from politics, I will content myself by saying that I know of no man who has, in such a short time, so endeared himself to all sections of the House.
We welcome the noble Earl, Lord Munster, to his higher sphere. As a former Minister without Portfolio, and knowing something of the difficulties of that office, or should I say lack of office? I hope that he will be allotted some precise and particular sphere of activities in which he can exercise his undoubted abilities. Many of the former under-Secretaries are being given an opportunity of gaining fresh experience in new offices, and although from this side of the House we shall do our best to "frustrate their politics" we shall not fear any "knavish tricks" on their part, for we know them all well and we wish them all good fortune. The noble Earl, Lord St. Aldwyn, and the noble Lord, Lord Fairfax of Cameron, have made their promotion inevitable by their speeches and good work in this House, and we wish them, too, all good fortune.
I now return to the Rules of Order and extend our most cordial congratulations to the new Lord Chancellor. Those of us who knew him well in another place and those of us who worked with him as colleagues in dark and difficult times realise how exceedingly fortunate we are to have him amongst us. He brings to his office a great Parliamentary experience, but he brings, too, that modesty which will preserve him from ever falling into the error of thinking that he alone is wise and that anyone who differs from him is troubled with a double dose of original sin. We know that he is a doughty fighter, but we know too that in all his bouts he is most scrupulously fair. He will listen to our criticisms and suggestions with the most perfect courtesy, and I feel sure will give way to them if, and only if, he is satisfied that they are well founded. We know, too, the thoroughness with which he tackles any job that he undertakes, 429 and we realise that he brings an immense addition to the authority of our deliberations in this House. We wish him well. Notwithstanding all our political differences, he will find himself here surrounded by a multitude of friends, who are confident that in the great office which he now holds he will still further increase the high reputation that he has already won.

§ VISCOUNT SAMUEL
My Lords, it is also in accordance with precedent that on an occasion such as this a few words should be spoken on behalf of noble Lords on these Benches, and I rise to do so; but while endorsing all that has been said by the Leader of the Opposition with regard to the other new holders of office who are members of your Lordships' House, I shall limit myself to the consequences of the change that has taken place in the occupation of the Woolsack. With regard to the late Lord Chancellor, with whom I sat in propinquity though that did not interfere with frequent clashes on matters of debate, I really feel a sense of personal loss. On a remembered occasion he quoted with much effect the words of Milton, and it was Milton who said: But, O the heavy change, now thou art gone, Now thou art gone, and never must return! Nevertheless, we welcome here his successor, who has had a most distinguished career. He has been a very successful Home Secretary—and some of us in your Lordships' House know how great the difficulties often are in that office. He closes one illustrious career in the Commons' House of Parliament, but we are sure that it is only to open another equally distinguished career in your Lordships' House. We all offer to him a very cordial welcome.

§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY
My Lords, the noble and learned Earl, Lord Jowitt, on behalf of the official Opposition, and the noble Viscount, Lord Samuel, on behalf of the Liberal Party, have already expressed the deep regret of those for whom they speak with regard to the departure of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Simonds, from the Woolsack, and their congratulations to the 430 noble and learned Viscount, Lord Kilmuir, who has succeeded him. It remains for me to say one final word on behalf of those who support the Government. I can, of course, re-echo every single word that they have spoken with regard to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Simonds, and also the noble and gallant Earl, Lord Alexander of Tunis to whom Lord Jowitt made so charming a reference, for their outstanding services to your Lordships' House. They have, I know, both of them, won the affection of every one of us, in all parts of the House, and we shall all greatly miss their contributions as members of the Govvernment.
In particular, on this special occasion I should like, if I may, to add this personal word about Lord Simonds. As Leader of the House, and as one who has been so closely associated with him during the whole period of this Government, I feel this, as I am sure your Lordships will understand, is in many ways a very sad day. In his departure from the Government, I have lost not only a distinguished colleague but a firm friend and a wise counsellor in all the many problems that face a Leader of the House in these difficult times. But, my Lords, I think, too, that in a wider sense we all of us owe a sincere debt of thanks to him for that public spirit which led him to assume the heavy responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor three years ago. It must have been no easy decision.
The noble and learned Lord is not like some of us, one of those, whose main interest throughout life has been in politics: he has graduated, as we all know, in the not less laborious but somewhat different profession of the law. When, however, he was asked to take over the arduous duties of Lord Chancellor he did not hesitate; and we all know with what distinction he filled that post. The task facing a Lord Chancellor in these days, as I am sure the noble and learned Earl, Lord Jowitt, will agree, is certainly no sinecure. Either the political or the legal work by itself would be a pretty full job for a man in the prime of life, and the two in combination constitute, I have always thought, an almost unbearable burden. Yet the noble and learned Lord carried it cheerfully; and by his speeches on the many and varying subjects with which he had to deal he won the affection of his fellows here, 431 and added lustre to the great position which he held in your Lordships' House. I should like, on behalf of all noble Lords, to thank him for his great services to the country while he was temporarily in politics, and wish him many years' health and happiness in the legal sphere to which he has now returned.
But if we are losing a good Lord Chancellor we are gaining one with the same distinction of mind as his predecessor. Noble Lords will know how high a reputation the noble and learned Viscount, Lord Kilmuir, has always enjoyed, both in his political and in his legal life, for his courage and his integrity; and I am quite certain that he will perform his duties, however arduous they may be, to the full satisfaction of your Lordships' House. We are giving him a foretaste of that by asking him to move the Second Reading of the Town and Country Planning Bill on the very day of his assumption of office. To me especially, having served so many years in another place with the noble Viscount, it is a very real pleasure to find myself working again with him in this House. I congratulate the noble Viscount most sincerely on his elevation to the great post he now occupies, and I offer him a very warm welcome to your Lordships' House.

§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR
My Lords, I wish to add but very few words to those that have fallen from the lips of noble Lords who have just addressed the House. I should like to thank them for the many kind, and indeed flattering, words which they have been good enough to say about myself, and, if your Lordships will allow me, to thank the whole House for the reception which I have received to-day. I should like to assure your Lordships' House that I shall do everything within my power to serve your Lordships during my tenure of this office. I know that my task in this office and the standards that are set for me to follow are made all the greater and higher by the distinguished occupancy of this position by my predecessor, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Simonds.