§ Lord DenhamMy Lords, with the leave of the House, I should like to make a personal statement.
In the course of the Unstarred Question on the Warrington printing dispute last Thursday it seemed to me that some remarks made by the noble Lord, Lord Dean of Beswick, reflected on the integrity of my right honourable friend the Prime Minister. I interrupted his speech to draw his attention to the passage in the Companion to Standing Orders that refers to criticisms of a personal nature directed against members of another place. The noble Lord, Lord Dean, has since assured me that his criticisms were intended to be of a political rather than of a personal nature, and of course I accept that assurance. Having re-read the remarks in the Official Report, I now see that the guidance given in this respect by the Companion does not apply. I should like to apologise to the noble Lord and to the House.