RESIGNATION OF SIR MILES THOMAS (Hansard, 21 March 1956)

§ LORD OGMORE
My Lords, I beg to ask Her Majesty's Government a Question of which I have given them private notice—namely, whether they have any statement to make on the reported resignation of Sir Miles Thomas from the chairmanship of British Overseas Airways Corporation.

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER (THE EARL OF SELKIRK)
My Lords, on 9th March Sir Miles Thomas informed my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation that he had addressed to him a letter asking to be released from his responsibilities as Chairman of B.O.A.C. as soon as could conveniently be arranged. He had already informed the Board of B.O.A.C. that he was making this request. Sir Miles told my right honourable friend that he felt he had completed the task for which he was commissioned in 1948, and that he could make a more useful contribution to trade and industry in other directions. My right honourable friend told Sir Miles that, if this was his wish, he would not 630 try to dissuade him. Sir Miles offered to stay on as Chairman for a short time, to assist in making the change of chairmanship of B.O.A.C. smoothly and without loss of efficiency to the Corporation. My right honourable friend gratefully accepted this offer, and told Sir Miles in his letter that he was very conscious of the enormous value of the services which he had rendered as Chairman of B.O.A.C.

§ LORD OGMORE
My Lords, in thanking the noble Earl for that Answer, may I say that I am sure noble Lords on this side of the House would wish to pay tribute to Sir Miles for the splendid work he has done in putting this great Airways Corporation on its feet. May I, however, draw the noble Earl's attention to, and ask him whether he has considered, a statement which has appeared on the front page of the Daily Express to-day to this effect: Neither Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter, the former Minister, nor Mr. Watkinson has worked well with Sir Miles. Since Mr. Watkinson took office last December difficulties have increased. On more than one occasion the Minister made it clear that he was the boss. There has been an exchange of letters between Sir Miles and the Minister. It is understood that the initiative in the resignation was taken by Sir Miles. Have there, in fact, been these difficulties? Have the difficulties, if there have been any, been on questions of principle, and is there any significance in the fact that in the last few months three out of the four top people in the nationalised airways have resigned?

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
I am glad the noble Lord has raised that point because I think it is a great pity that whenever anyone resigns from one of the big Corporations it should be immediately assumed that some sort of row was pending. I can assure the noble Lord that there has been no conflict whatsoever between the Chairman of the Board and my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation. If the noble Lord will read further in the article concerned, he will see there what the reasons really are, because it says: But Sir Miles indicated that working in a nationalised industry is not his natural bent. He felt that his original task was completed and he should now branch out elsewhere. If I may pay tribute to what the original task was, I should like to remind the House of the figures of B.O.A.C. When 631 Sir Miles took over in 1948 there was an annual loss of £7½ million. By 1953 he had converted that into a profit of over £1 million. I think that is an effective testimony to what he has achieved.

§ LORD HORE-BELISHA
My Lords, while associating myself fully with the tribute to the great service of Sir Miles, may I ask the noble Earl whether he has any statement to make about his successor? I think he said that the purpose for which Sir Miles stayed on for this extra fortnight was to facilitate the transition to the new chairmanship. Can he therefore say what arrangements the Government have in mind in regard to that matter?.

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
I am afraid that question is quite premature at the present time. I do not think I mentioned the period of a fortnight.

§ LORD HORE-BELISHA
You gave the date—March 9.

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
That is the date of the letter. I think there is no reference to a period of a fortnight.

§ EARL WINTERTON
My Lords, might I ask my noble friend, not for the benefit of your Lordships who will be aware of the circumstances, but for the benefit of outside opinion, whether he will make it abundantly clear that neither now nor at any time are Her Majesty's Government responsible for articles which appear in newspapers? Because that is so, one is not allowed in another place to quote from a newspaper.

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
I quite agree with what the noble Earl has said.

LORD PAKENHAM
My Lords, as I was the one who appointed Sir Miles to his chairmanship of B.O.A.C. following his appointment as Deputy Chairman by my noble friend Lord Nathan, may I join in the sincere tributes that have been paid? May I say that I feel disquiet, even after the statement of the Minister, but I hope that my disquiet is quite unfounded.

§ THE EARL OF SELKIRK
My Lords, I am afraid I cannot answer the noble Lord as to his disquiet, but I hope that in due course it will be stilled by events.