HL Deb 21 July 1970 vol 311 cc823-7

2.50 p.m.

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (EARL JELLCOE)

My Lords, your Lordships heard this morning, with I am sure a deep sense of shock, of the tragically sudden death last night of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Iain Macleod. By this loss Parliamentary life has been diminished, I believe, in a very real sense. I am sure that your Lordships will agree with me when I express the view that by the death of Mr. Macleod another place has lost a truly great Commoner. Those of your Lordships who have been Members of another place, and indeed those who have not, knew that Mr. Macleod had an extraordinary range of Parliamentary qualities. He had brilliance and quickness of mind and in debate, albeit fair, he could be truly formidable.

The late Chancellor had other distinguishing characteristics. He was, I think it true to say, a subtle and a flexible tactician. But be that as it may, I think your Lordships would also agree that he was utterly inflexible in his dedication to those princples to which he was committed—and Mr. Macleod was a truly committed man. He was also, my Lords, a man distinguished by great courage, both moral and indeed physical. And there was, I think, another particular quality which those who knew him well recognised very much in Mr. Macleod, and that was his interest in the younger generation and the constant encouragement which he gave to younger people, both inside and outside this Palace of Westminster.

My Lords, Mr. Macleod's death is a great loss to his colleagues and to the Party which he so loyally served. It is also, I feel, a great loss to the Commonwealth. And more, my Lords, it is a loss to our country and to our national life, because Mr. Macleod was above all a true patriot, and I suspect that he died as he would have wished, in the service of his country—in harness. I know that your Lordships will wish to join with me in extending to Mr. Macleod's widow—whose triumph over physical adversity has been akin to her late husband's—and to his family our sincere and most heartfelt sympathy.

2.53 p.m.

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, we on this side wholly support and agree with everything that the noble Earl the Leader of the House has said. It is indeed a grievous loss not only, I freely acknowledge, to his Party but also to Parliament and indeed to the country. Those of us who knew Mr. Macleod well would echo most strongly the very moving words used by Mr. Michael Foot—and some of your Lordships will have heard him this morning on the radio—in his description of a man of quite exceptional quality.

I remember when he first came into the House of Commons—I think it was after the 1950 General Election. We very soon realised that we had somebody joining the ranks of the Conservative Party who was bound to reach the highest office. I also remember his work as a Minister. Those of us who have had to deal with Ministers from time to time form a judgment as to the degree to which the individual is deeply concerned not only with the general policy that he is fulfilling but also with its administration. And the particular cases which I took to Mr. Macleod showed a degree of humanity, a degree of decision and a degree of willingness to override easy advice. It was therefore very fitting that he should have attained a great position in the State—the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer—and I can think of no one, certainly of his political view and indeed of any Party, who was, in his personal qualities and intelligence, better qualified for that post. I am sure noble Lords will not think I make a Party point when I say that we are also deeply conscious of his service to the Commonwealth in carrying through difficult policies, following "the wind of change", and of the courage and determination with which he set about that task.

My Lords, we certainly extend the greatest sympathy to Mrs. Macleod and to his family. We are conscious that, as a family, they have had to show a great deal of courage in adversity, and one of my recollections of Iain Macleod was the courage with which he fought really acute handicaps and was always determined to give of his best to the country.

3.2 p.m.

LORD BYERS

My Lords, we on these Benches, too, would wish to be associated with the tributes which have just been paid by the two noble Lords. The news has come as a very great shock to those of us who knew Iain Macleod over twenty years in politics. He was indeed a brilliant man. He was a formidable opponent, but he was one who always commanded respect. We on these Benches particularly admired the attitude of mind which he brought to bear towards the problems of the developing countries of the Commonwealth. We regret that he should be lost to national politics at a time when he had just been given the opportunity to contribute so much, and I believe that he would have contributed a very great deal in the national interest. We would join in ex- tending our deepest sympathy to his widow and the family.

THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

My Lords, we on these Benches revered Iain Macleod as a man who, both within politics and far beyond politics, cared for his fellows; as a man of Christian conviction who was concerned about human suffering and the help to be given to those who suffer. One of my most vivid memories of Iain Macleod is this. It was a few days before last Christmas. There was a pilgrimage of hundreds of young people from Canterbury Cathedral—a kind of Canterbury Pilgrimage in reverse—with long marches, visiting many towns, raising funds for the hungry and the homeless. Iain Macleod came to Canterbury to speak to these young pilgrims at a very early hour of the morning, when their pilgrimage set out, and the words that he spoke to them, of concern for suffering, were of an inspiring kind that I shall never forget We shall long remember him as one who loved and served humanity.

LORD BROCKWAY

My Lords, I wonder whether a Back-Bencher may add to this tribute. I do so because of the great generosity of Iain Macleod to those of us in the opposite Party who were concerned about the issues with which he dealt, in the way in which he was prepared to consult with us. Speaking of his historical record, I think his contribution to the Commonwealth was absolutely decisive in the change that took place. But it is more because I wanted to pay my tribute to him as a friend who appreciated his great qualities that I have dared to intervene this afternoon.

THE EARL OF PERTH

My Lords, for two years while Iain Macleod was Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs I was his Minister of State I well recall, as will your Lordships, that those were difficult days, vitally important, when we were negotiating with one Colony after another to grant them independence. Different nationalities and races were very fearful for their future and anxious to safeguard their particular interests. To reconcile and to comfort these peoples needed great skill and clear thinking, kindness, understanding and courage. Iain Macleod had all these qualities, and the determination and integrity to do what he believed was right, whatever were the pressures. With all this he had no thought of self or of his health. He was ready to work at all hours of the day and the night; and the record of many of the former Colonies, now nations, is a proof of the value of his work.

During those days, too, he kept open house—to be more exact, it was a flat—where all his friends, of all races and nations, could visit him. In this he was greatly aided by his wife, Eve, and indeed by his son and his daughter, for it was a family party which was ready to help in such problems. I believe, my Lords, that the country has suffered a grievous loss, for I can imagine no better qualified Chancellor of the Exchequer than Iain Macleod would have proved to be in what are difficult times for the country. I am sorry for his colleagues and for his friends, but above all—and I know that your Lordships join me in this—for his wife and his family, and our thoughts and our prayers are with him and them to-day.

LORD BUTLER OF SAFFRON WALDEN

My Lords, may I be excused if I intervene for one minute? I brought Iain Macleod into public life and into politics, and this is a great shock for all of us—a great shock for me, a great shock for his Party and a great shock for the country. He succeeded me in a variety of Offices, mostly with my own agreement and concurrence, notably as Leader of the House of Commons, as Chairman of the Conservative Party and as Chancellor of the Exchequer. We discussed often in the last week or two, before he got ill, his plans for his work at the Treasury, and it really has been almost more than one can bear to read the news this morning. I therefore want to pay this simple tribute as one who I think was a friend of his and who helped him in his political life.