§ 30. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a further statement on the situation in Hungary in the light of British relief measures.
§ Commander NobleThere has been, I regret to say, a deterioration in the situation in Hungary since my hon. Friend's statement on 26th November. The Kadra Government have completely failed to win the confidence or support of the Hungarian people. The Workers' Councils maintain their demands for Russian withdrawal from Hungary, independence, neutrality and free elections.
The Government are now trying to break all resistance. They have banned the central and regional Workers' Councils, they are carrying out arrests among their members and are making a house-to-house search for arms. A forty-eight-hour general strike has been called. The risk of renewed violence appears to be grave.
Private contributions to the principal relief funds in the United Kingdom now total £1,793,000. Approximately 11,000 refugees have now reached the United Kingdom.